Pool heating is not a one size fits all proposition. There are many homes with swimming pools in Florida and with our climate the swimming season may be all year long. I get many questions about pool heating and the best way to heat your pool.
My first question to those asking is, how are you going to use your pool? If your response is, I want to swim everyday all winter; my follow-up question would be what temperature do you want your pool to be?
If you prefer your pool temperature around 85°
If you say, I won’t get in the pool unless the water temperature is 84-86°, you only have two options, natural gas or propane. Natural gas or propane is your answer also if you only plan to use the pool in the winter when out of town guests come or to heat up a spa. There is no quicker way to heat your pool. It can become costly using gas to heat your pool on a daily basis.
If you prefer your pool temperature in the low 70’s
Electric heat pumps are a good way to heat your pool if you want to use it on a daily basis and you can live with about 20° warmer than the average outdoor temperature. In Central and Northern Florida that may mean a water temperature in the low 70’s. Heat pumps are very economical because they use the heat in the outdoor air and the refrigeration process rather than generating heat. The biggest problem with a heat pump is the inability to heat the water more than 20°. Also, the colder it is outside the worse a heat pump operates.
If you prefer your pool temperature in the high 60’s
Solar pool heating is another option. Solar pool heating can generally only raise the water temperature about 15° above the average outdoor temperature. One of the very best uses for solar pool heat is when your pool is shaded and you would like to warm it during the summer swimming season. This is a perfect application for solar. It isn’t such a good option for colder weather swimming.
You must take into consideration whether you are in North, Central or South Florida. Pool heater performances and sizing is different based on your climate. For all your pool heating questions or any other energy questions contact your energy experts at Florida Public Utilities www.fpuc.com/energyexpert
