Pool heater running costs

Because every pool has a different level of usage, a different local climate, a different user heating requirement, and different levels of covering and insulation, it is impossible to tabulate comparable running costs for pool heaters.

However, different pool heaters do have different fuel costs and although these costs represent different heating abilities, it is possible to draw conclusions as to the comparative running costs of the various pool heater types.

Free running pool heaters

The most economic pool heaters run off solar energy making their energy running costs zero. The limitation to this kind of pool heater is its dependence on the weather. The brighter, the sunnier and the longer the daylight hours, the warmer the pool can potentially get.

Poor dull days do however restrict the solar heaters ability to heat a pool, and there is a limit to the temperature differentials that these heaters can work within. e.g. If you live in a cold four season climate that can have sunny, but sub zero daytime temperatures, do not expect a warm pool.

Economic pool heaters

All varieties of pool heaters that use heat exchangers or inverters offer very low running costs. These heaters include swimming pool heat pumps, inverter heaters, and heat exchangers that utilize the energy from an existing appliance like a domestic boiler.

Heat pumps use a small amount of electricity and the heat energy in surrounding atmosphere, making their external energy consumption very low.

Heat exchangers and inverters that utilize an existing power source are simply "tapping into" a heating system that is already running for other purposes and the additional energy drain is usually very low.

As with solar pool heaters, exchanger and inverter pool heaters have limitations. They are effective at raising water temperature by small increments, but would be unable to generate enough heat to produce a warm pool on a very cold day. Some larger pools have heat exchanger systems as supplemental heating systems and use them to maintain the water temperature in a pool already heated by another form of heater.

Heaters with higher running costs

Inevitably, you get what you pay for and, if you want a pool heater that has the power and flexibility to quickly heat a swimming pool up to any reasonable temperature that you desire, it comes with a cost.

Solar and exchanger heaters are comparatively passive and utilize free or "waste" energy to provide a gradual and gentle heating effect. If you want more power, then you need a stand alone heater designed and constructed specifically for the purpose.

Heaters in this "higher running cost" category include boilers powered by gas, propane and oil, along with electrically powered heaters.

There are of course big differences between the various options and, as with all pools, the use of a pool cover can dramatically reduce running costs.

If you need a powerful pool heater for a medium to large sized swimming pool, then you will almost certainly need some kind of fossil fuel fired boiler, but selecting a condenser boiler will save money when compared with an equivalent standard boiler.

Finally, there is a direct relationship between running costs and what you get for your money. Heaters that work quickly with no limit on their heating ability cost more to run than those working off free or secondary energy.

Getting the best of both worlds

One money saving option is however, to use a high energy consuming heater to raise the level of the swimming pool temperature and to give it that extra boost when required, whilst using a low energy usage heater to maintain the temperature once it has been reached.