Money Saving Guide To Swimming Pool Heating

Keeping your swimming pool heated can cost a pretty penny. These days we are all looking to cut our energy costs and leave less of a carbon footprint. This guide will explain how affordable solar pool covers can help you do both.

Introduction to Solar Swimming Pool Covers

Also referred to as solar blankets, solar swimming pool covers are an economical and effective way to use the sun’s energy to heat your pool.

Generally resembling bubble wrap, solar pool covers are usually clear, silver or blue in color. They have thousands of tiny air pockets that transfer heat from the sun into your pool and also help keep the existing heat in the water. This means that more heat is added to your swimming pool while less heat is lost through evaporation. Enabling you to heat your pool for a fraction of the cost. Reduced evaporation means less chemical loss as well, saving you money all around.

Often, a temperature increase of 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit can be achieved by using a solar pool cover.

The Different Types of Swimming Pool Solar Covers

While all pool solar covers do the job in providing savings on your heating system and reducing evaporation as described above, not all solar blankets are the same in design or effectiveness.

Swimming pool covers come in different thicknesses. Choosing a thicker one will cost you more, but it will offer more energy savings. The thicker covers insulate better and transfer a greater amount of heat to the pool. As an added bonus to savings, they are more durable and last longer too. Common pool cover thicknesses are 8mm, 12mm, and 16mm.

Color is also an important factor in the effectiveness of solar pool covers for swimming pools because while all covers prevent more or less the same amount of water and chemical evaporation, they do not all offer equal heat transfer in terms of capturing the sun’s solar energy. Blue colored covers tend to be the most popular choice, however, a clear cover that blocks the least amount of sun offers the most amount of solar heating. Blue covers normally block about 20 to 40 percent of the sun’s energy while clear solar blankets block only between 5 and 15 percent of the sun’s energy. For the most enhanced heating ability, a solar pool cover with a silver coating that reflects added heat back into the pool is best choice.

Choosing the Right Cover for Your Swimming Pool

The type of pool you own also will determine the type of solar cover that will best suit your needs. The type of cover you should use depends on the shape and size of your swimming pool. If your pool is a standard rectangular or round shape, finding the right size cover is usually pretty easy. However, if you have a kidney-shaped, oval or custom-shaped pool, you will probably have to have a cover designed to fit its unusual measurements. The good news is that this can be done easily. Most covers can simply be cut with scissors to fit your pool, so you will merely need to buy a cover that is big enough to cover the entire pool and then shape it yourself to snugly fit the pool’s shape.

Swimming pool covers bring the benefits of reduced heating and chemical costs, lowered water evaporation rates plus an extended swimming season. Since they are also very affordable, they’re highly recommended as an effective energy saver for all pool owners.