This guide will help you to find out a few steps that you can take in order to reduce your energy bill. The swimming pool pump is one of the highest energy consumers for a household. Taking these few steps can help save you money each month. Please feel free to comment on the bottom of this page for more ideas on how you reduced your pool pump bill.
1. There are several ways that you can reduce the cost of your energy bill with your swimming pool pump. The number one thing to keep in mind is your pump is used to help keep your swimming pool circulating and clean. If you notice a big change in your swimming pool clarity or balance you may want to double think your actions.
2. Amount of time to run your pool pump
The first thing to look at is how long your pump is running per day. If you do not own a timer, get one. Swimming pool pumps should be run an average 8 hours a day to properly circulate and clean your water. The pump should push your entire pool in gallons in this 8 hour period of time. However, often times swimming pool pump horse power is overrated for their size swimming pool. If it is overrated your pump may be pushing your water through in a 6 hour period or even a 4 hour period of time. In this case you can reduce the time you run your swimming pool pump. According to Florida Power and Electric reducing a pool pump by 2 hours will save you about $10 per month. Here is the average monthly costs for the average 1 HP pump to run.
1 HP - 4 Hours = $21
1 HP - 6 Hours = $31
1 HP - 8 Hours = $41
A pool timer will help you keep your pump running the proper amount of time. Again, check your pool chemical balance if you see a drastic change revert back to the old amount of time your run your pool pump.
3. Oversized Pool Pumps
Like stated above many pool builders oversize the pool pump for their swimming pool. For swimming pool clarity reasons it is always better to have a higher HP pump then a lower HP pump, but for energy consumption reasons it is just sucking on your monthly bill. One option is to switch to a lower HP pump. According to Florida Power and Electric reducing the average Florida pump (running 8 hours a day) from 1 1/2 HP down to 1 HP you can save about $19 per month. This is $228 per year.
1 HP 8 Hours = $41
1.5 HP 8 Hours = $58
If you reduce the horsepower of the pump your filter will actually perform better. It will most likely be oversized compared to your pump and be able to filter out your water a little more properly. If you decide to go this route please ensure your calculations are correct.
4. Switch to an EE motor
If you plan on staying in your home longer then 2 years then you definitely should upgrade your motor from a standard to a Energy Efficient motor. Replacing your existing pump motor with an Energy Efficient motor can save your up to 33% on your electric bill. The same 1 HP pump listed above that is switched to a 1HP EE pump motor can save you $13 per month or $156 per year.
1 HP - 8 Hours = $41
1 HP EE - 8 Hours = $28
If you are in need of a new pump you should definitely purchase a EE model. The average cost difference between the standard and EE pool pumps is about $100. You will make up this difference in less then 8 months.
If you have any other questions about pool and spa products please do let us know - we are here to help!