What is the cost of running a pool pump?

Well first of all there is a tag on all motors with detailed information that is necessary in calculating this cost.

Locate the VOLTAGE and AMPERAGE rating of the pump. Let us take for example a 1hp Hayward Super Pump. The voltage is 115/230 and the amp rating is 15/7.5. If you select the lower voltage rating (115), you will select the higher amperage rating (15). If you run the pump on the higher voltage (230), you will select the lower amperage (7.5). For this example, we will use the lower voltage as to give people with above ground pool pumps a better idea, as they all run on 115 volts.

MULTIPLY the VOLTAGE rating by the AMPERAGE rating. This will give you the total WATTS. Example 115 volts X 15 amps = 1725 WATTS.

DIVIDE the total WATTS by 1000 to get KILOWATTS (KW). SO 1725 WATTS/1000 = 1.725 kW

MULTIPLY the hours per day that you run your pool pump by the kW. This total will be the kWh -kilowatt hour per day Example 24 hours a day X 1.725 kW = 41.40 kWh per day.

MULTIPLY the kWh per day by the cost per kWh. This can be found on your current Hydro bill. The result will tell you how much it costs to run your pump each day. 41.40 kWh a day X .12 cents per kWh = 4.97 per day to operate the pool pump.

Now if you are running the same pump, but with 230 Volt, the cost will be 2.49 per day.

This cost really adds up at the end of each month, so what can we do to reduce the cost?

Well we can try and run the pump fewer hours per day.

Your pool must turn the complete volume of water over at least once a day which on average will take 8 hours. Some municipalities have reduced rates for certain times of the day, and also if you are using a lot of power, they will put you into a higher price per kWh. Your bill will confirm the range of pricing.

Quite often chemicals can be added in the evening, especially if you have just added shock, so let the pool -run all night to disperse evenly. Then pool could be shut off during the day. You could also run for non consecutive hours to equal the eight hours. You could run it for 2 hours here, 3 hours there, and then 3 hours there, as long as it runs for 8 hour minimum.

As the summer heats up, you may experience spots of algae appearing. Well this is a signal that your pool needs more that the 8 hours to circulate. No two pools are the same, so this can take a bit of tweaking.

So when it comes time to replace your pool pump consider different options that can save energy costs.

– 230 volt
– 2 speed pump
– variable speed pump

These may be more expensive initially to purchase, but if your system would accommodate these options, they will pay for themselves in energy costs alone over time.

 

How to Calculate Pool Volume

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