The Easiest Ways To Save On Your Pool Expenses That You Never Knew About
Having a pool in your backyard is certainly one of the most luxurious additions you can make to your home. Guests will love it, and so will your kids. But, having an at-home pool can also be quite expensive. While these costs depend largely on obvious factors like size and other design choices you opt for, maintaining a pool can also be a little pricey. HomeGuide states that the upkeep alone can cost you anywhere from $80 to $150 a month or $960 to $1,800 a year. While these expenses go to good use, we don't blame you for thinking about cutting them as much as possible.
We've compiled a list of two of the easiest things you can do today to bring down your bill if you have a pool at home. Think of this as a short-term investment for a big save in the long term that your future self will thank you for.
Use a pool cover
As Sunplay explains, a cover is one of the best things you can invest in to save on overall maintenance costs for your pool, as it will make it much more energy efficient. A cover will reduce the rate of evaporation, which, as a result, will keep your pool naturally warmer. This means the heater has much less work to do, which will be reflected on your energy bill at the end of the month. They also recommend investing in a solar pool cover, which will help harness the sun's energy to keep your reservoir warm and save you big bucks on your bill.
This isn't the only benefit of a pool cover. The U.S. Department of Energy explains that covers also reduce chemical consumption by 35% to 60% in your pool while also keeping dirt or debris out of the basin and maintaining it clean so you can save yourself time and money on cleaning.
Use an energy-saving pump
Any pool will require a pump. According to Hayward, this device is necessary as it keeps the water safe for use by transporting it from the pool to the filter, the heater, and the chlorinator before being returned to the basin. This means you cannot cut out the pump entirely. It's a cost that you will have to bear in order to have a clean, functional, and safe swimming pool.
However, you can switch to an energy-saving one, according to HomeSelfe, as an energy-efficient pool pump can save you up to $561 a year. They recommend using a variable speed pump as they offer the best value for money — especially in the long run — also noting that these devices can be responsible for almost 25% of the energy usage on your property. This means it's wise to ensure that your equipment is as efficient as possible.