Run Your Pool or Spa More Efficiently

Eight percent of American homes have pools, which waste more energy than all the Energy Star rated homes in the country are saving. In California alone this adds up to the entire output of a medium sized power plant.

What You Should Know

• Evaporation is the major cause of heat loss from a pool or spa.
• Pool blankets that float on the surface reduce the energy used to heat the pool by 40% to 70%.
• For every hour a pool heater runs it consumes three times as much energy as the home furnace. Pool pumps use the about the same amount of energy as a window air condition unit.

What You Can Do

Cover your pool or spa with a cover that has an R-value of 12 or greater. This will save energy and water while saving you money.

Replace older spa covers if they are heavy and waterlogged.

Make sure your pool and spa timers do not run the pump longer than is needed. Pumps use a lot of energy.

Replace your old pool pump with a newer, more efficient variable-speed pump. Check with your utility for possible rebates for this.

Consider solar for heating your pool. Rebates for solar pool heating are not offered because they pay for themselves in short order.

Sources: 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by the Earth Works Group and PG&E; Acterra (David Coale).