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Solar Energy Pools: Keep energy consumption down and pool costs will drop.
As we all know, swimming pools require a lot of energy to run and maintain. Pool supplies alone can get costly, and with energy costs going up, it is helpful to find ways to reduce the amount of energy pools use. Solar thermal energy is a great resource to cushion these costs by lowering the energy consumption of a pool.
Passive Solar Pool Heaters
Solar heaters, solar blankets, and solar rings are a few mainstream ways to heat your pool with the power of the sun for both above-ground and in-ground swimming pools. All of these passive solar heating options are easy to implement and affordable.
Some solar heaters are individual solar coil pool heaters that sit next to a pool and collect energy from the sun’s rays, and other solar heaters are complete solar systems that use bigger solar panels to collect energy. Solar pool heaters can heat pool water by 10 -15 degrees and only need around 4 – 6 hours of sunlight to capture enough energy. This energy is then transferred into the pool through coils and the pool pump helps to circulate the heated the water.
Which solar pool heater is best for my pool?
Determining what kind of solar pool heater is best will depend on the size of your pool. Just one large individual solar coil heater could be all a pool needs or multiple individual solar coil pool heaters can be combined to provide additional heat to pool water. These individual solar coil heaters are best for above ground and tight spaced pools, and come in small and large dome sizes: a good example of these are the SolarPro solar coil pool heaters.
Complete solar systems are configured for your pool size. An in-ground swimming pool will require 2 to 4 solar panel collectors that are roughly 4 feet by 20 feet long, and an above ground pool will require 1 to 3 of these panels; the surrounding space around the pool needs to be able to accommodate this. However, these solar systems are the most effective way to heat a pool and can be comparable in price to traditional gas heaters.
In addition, passive solar pool heaters last longer than traditional heaters and cost nothing to operate, saving you a lot of money in the long run.
Solar Pool Covers and Blankets
Having a solar pool cover or blanket, as they are commonly referred to, are great for collecting and trapping heat from the sun, and warming pool water. Solar covers are used in between swims and should not be confused with pool covers. Pool covers are used for long periods of time to shield your pool, like when on vacation or closing a pool for the winter.
Solar covers and blankets look like big sheets of bubble wrap and act as great passive solar heaters. This design offers small pockets of air that warm up and transfer heat to the water. Clear solar covers are best because the sun’s rays can easily penetrate the plastic and not reflect off it. A solar blanket can raise pool temperature by 15 degrees, and holds the heat in overnight and between swims.
Solar covers help save money not only on heating costs but on maintenance and pool chemicals as well. 
They stop debris from blowing into a pool and prevent chlorine and other chemicals from evaporating, keeping pool water cleaner for longer periods of time.
A couple things to remember about solar blankets and covers: they need to be stored out of direct sunlight when not in use, and children and pets should be closely supervised. It is easy to fall into a pool and become trapped in a cover or blanket.
Solar Rings
Solar rings are a solar thermal energy technology that collect energy from the sun and transfer it as heat to the pool water. Solar pool rings act just like solar covers and blankets but have less safety risks. They are big individual discs, about 4 feet in diameter, that float on the water and like the solar covers, are easily placed and removed by one person. Solar rings should also be stored out of direct sunlight to prevent over heating and deterioration.
Go Solar and Save
Enjoy your swimming pool without the guilt of spending too many BTUs. These affordable solar products are easy options to help reduce household energy consumption and keep pool maintenance costs down to a minimum. Switch over to solar heaters and solar pool products for this upcoming summer season and see how much you can save.
