How much does it cost to run a heat pump pool heater?

Pool heat pumps use significantly less energy to produce more heat compared to other methods of heating. Comparing annual costs, heat pumps cost much less than gas fired pool heaters. In fact, pool heat pumps are one of the most affordable methods to heat a swimming pool. Annual operating costs of a pool heat pump will vary based on pool water temperature settings, efficiency rating and location of the pool. If you add a solar pool cover you can further reduce costs by retaining pool heat.

The costs of heating with a pool heat pump are affected by many factors, including the size of the heat pump in relation to the size of the swimming pool; whether or not the pool is covered and the location of the pool. In order to heat your pool economically and get the best savings on your ongoing heating costs, it is important to choose a quality heat pump that is large enough for your specific application.

Note that these are general estimated costs. Use the monthly heating cost calculator to determine your costs based on your specific usage. A Poolheatpumps.com representative is always available to provide you more information based on your swimming pool. Contact us today and we will estimate costs and give you a comparison for different heating methods.

Pool Heat Pump Operating Costs

Using input costs of $.12 KWH for electrical, $1.20 per therm for natural gas, and $2.50 per gallon for propane, I can show you that the operating cost of using a pool heat pump will be half the cost of using a pool gas heater the consumes natural gas and one quarter of the cost of using a pool gas heater that uses propane.  I would also add that the lifespan of a pool heat pump is 10 to 15 years, while the lifespan of a pool gas heater is roughly 5 years.

This is simply not a cost that most homeowner’s will want to incur to heat their pool. And while it seems the result would be a giant bill for the homeowner using a gas pool heater, the reality is that the homeowner simply refrains from using the heater nearly as often as they would like. The cost of heating the pool then becomes a luxury cost and an expense that the household cannot or will not bear.

The homeowner, in most cases, is where he was when he began - unable to fully enjoy a comfortably heated pool at his convenience due to exorbitant operating cost. Well, he’s not quite where he began. He’s now also out of pocket on the cost of his gas heater.

Considering the commercial pool, similar issues are at hand, but operating cost may not be as prohibitive due to commercial budgets and needs. The question at this juncture is – should the operating cost be excessive simply because it’s in the budget? Or can the operating cost of gas be diverted to other expenses for the property? For example – should a homeowner’s association set aside $20,000 per year to operate the gas heater for the year – or understand their options with a heat pump, spend approx $4000 for the year, and allocate $16,000 for other community improvements?

Installation Costs

The cost to install a swimming pool heat pump is all about the electrical.  A pool heat pump requires 220V electrical service and its own 50 amp breaker.  If you have this service by your pool, you are ahead of the game and installation should be in the $300.00 to $500.00 range.  If you need to put the electrical out by your pool area, this cost will vary, but will be 95% of your installation cost.

Reliability

With proper maintenance a pool heat pump can last at least 10-15 years or longer, while a pool gas heater will last you roughly 5 years. Why? The main component of any heater is the heat exchanger. In a pool gas heater the heat exchanger is made of copper or cupro-nickel (a copper nickel alloy). These materials will eventually corrode from exposure to pool chemicals or salt systems. The heat exchanger in a pool heat pump is made of titanium and titanium will not corrode from exposure to pool chemicals or salt systems.

Environmentally Friendly

Heat pumps are an environmentally friendly alternative to other heating methods because they use up to 80% less fossil fuel to create the same amount of heat output. That means less fossil fuel, less consumption of natural resources and decreased pollution.

Economical

A pool heat pump uses the sun heated air as a source of heat, therefore unlike a gas pool heater, all you have to pay for is the initial cost of the heater itself and the cost of electricity to operate the heat pump.

As the heat pump uses electricity to operate, your electric bill will increase, but you will not use any fuel or have annual servicing costs. Since electricity is more economical than a pool heater that runs on fuel, a quality air source heat pump is so efficient that you will be saving on heating costs as soon as it’s installed.

Furthermore, if you live in a climate that has relatively high temperatures throughout the year, your savings could increase even more, as the heat pump performance efficiency is considerably increased as the ambient temperatures rise.

Compare Costs

The pool heating system that you choose can make a significant difference on the operating costs of your pool. Use the table below to compare heating methods and costs.

Estimate Heating Costs and Savings

Use the table below to compare heating methods and estimate annual costs and savings.
Table 1 estimates annual costs by location, pool temperature and with or without using a solar cover.

*Figures based on a 1,000 square foot, outdoor pool heated with an air to water heat pump with an average COP of 5.0 at $.085/kwh.
Table 2 estimates the annual savings of using a heat pump pool heater compared to using an electric resistance or gas pool heater.

Gas and Electric Pool Heaters

Use the table below to compare heating methods and estimate annual cost and savings of gas and electric pool heaters.

*Based on an electric resistance heated pool, which costs $1,000 per year at an electric cost of $.085/kwh, and using a natural gas cost 0f $.80/therm. A seasonal average COP of 5.0 was used to determine heat pump savings.

Data from the U.S Department of Energy