If you have a swimming pool, chances are you have a higher-than-average energy bill. Pools are commonly equipped with pumps that are larger than needed.
Replacing standard pumps and motor assemblies with high-efficiency units or with a multi-speed pump can generate savings in energy cost, with virtually no reduction in cleaning effectiveness.
Moving water more slowly with a multi-speed pump is an effective way to reduce energy needed for filtration. Reducing pump speed by half reduces the power requirement to one-quarter of that required on full speed.
The multi-speed pump must run twice as long at low speed to filter the same amount of water, but the unit will only use one-quarter of the energy used at full speed. This means that running the pump for 16 hours on low speed costs approximately half as much as running eight hours on high speed.
Check with your pool contractor for information and details on the best way to run a new filtration system.
Reducing filtration run time on single speed pool pumps is a big energy saver. Reducing the filtration time by 2 hours per day (for a 1hp pool pump) can save an average of $10.00 per month.
Run time varies according to pool size, use and other factors like the amount of debris in the water, but a general rule of thumb is to filter the water once every 24 hours.
If you use a pool maintenance service, make sure you consult with them about reducing the filtration time. When the pool is heavily used, it is recommended that the pool pump be operated manually and that the filtration system be run longer under such conditions.