If you and your family are lucky enough to have a swimming pool in your own backyard, you’ll know a pool pump plays an important role in keeping your pool clean, safe, and in tip-top, dive-in condition.
However, running the pool pump can be expensive – especially in those sweltering summer months. Swimming pool pumps can make up a whopping 18% of a pool owner's electricity bill. With Australia’s cost of living on the up, now’s a great time to consider how an energy efficient pool pump can help keep your bills under control.
Not only can energy efficient pool pumps save you money, they’re also a sustainable choice for your home, and can also improve the performance of your pool. Let’s take a look at what you need to know to choose the right pump for you.
Types of energy efficient pool pumps
All new pool pumps are now required to have an energy rating label. This rating will help you understand the pump’s energy efficiency.
You should also consider how your pump will be powered:
- Electric pool pumps (like electric pool heaters) are powered by electricity from the grid.
- Solar pool pumps (like solar heating pool pumps) are powered by energy from the sun.
When choosing an energy efficient pool pump, you should think about any additional benefits, which can vary between solar and electric pool pumps.
Benefits of energy efficient pool pumps
The sustainable choice: Energy efficient pumps are obviously a great choice for the environment. Solar pool pumps are a clean form of energy because they produce no greenhouse gas emissions. As an added bonus, if you have solar panels on your property, your pool pump can draw energy from those too.
Save ongoing costs: Consider buying an energy efficient pool pump to save money on electricity bills. That’s a big win for your hip pocket, but that’s not the only way to save. You should also think of things like purchase cost and long-term savings.
Installing a solar pool pump to heat your pool means you won’t have to rely on electricity – so you can potentionally reduce those energy bills. Although a solar pool pump system can be more expensive to install than an electric pool pump, you can recoup the cost of installation in as little as three years.
Improve pool performance: When choosing a pool pump, you want to make sure it’s up to the task. With an energy efficient pool pump, you don’t have to compromise on its performance – it might even give you more options. For example, most energy efficient pool pumps can vary their speed. This means, rather than solely running at a high speed, you can reduce the speed when it suits, to consume less energy. That’s a win, win.
Government rebates: As an extra bonus to your budget, some Australian state governments offer certain rebates when you upgrade to an energy efficient pool pump. Take a look at these incentives from the Victorian State Government, the NSW State Government, or check with your local state government to see what’s on offer.
How to read the energy rating label of your swimming pool pump
Of course, it’s important to understand what the energy rating label on your pool pump means so you can make an informed choice.
Pool pumps now hold a starnrating scaled from 1 to 10. Simply put, the more stars, the more energy efficient your pool pump will be – and the lower your energy bill.
Let’s take a look at the numbers and compare an 8-star model with a 3-star model to help you understand how the ratings affect your energy bills.
If you’re thinking about buying an energy efficient pool pump, discover how a Brighte can help.