Energy efficient & Eco friendly swimming pools - are they even a thing?!
当前的全球形势使保持健康和享受与家人在一起的时间(主要是在家里)变得更加重要。In light of that, we’re going to assume that many people will want to relax in their own pool or spa, despite them not being very green, unless of course it’s anatural swimming pool.
拥有一个私人的后院游泳池或热水浴缸当然有它的优点，但也有缺点。这个指南页是我们帮助游泳池保持环保，有吸引力的使用和经济的能源使用在加热和一般操作方面尽可能。
If you’re lucky enough to have a swimming pool or hot tub at home, then you’ll no doubt already know that they take quite a lot of maintenance and can be very costly in terms of heating and running costs even after they’ve been paid for.
Personally, I don't have a swimming pool now, but from times in the past I know how wonderful a swimming pool is to have at home. I also know first hand that looking after a pool can be time consuming, not to mention a money sucking nightmare unless you know what you’re doing!
当我说泳池或按摩浴缸仍然会在建造“理想的梦想之家”的清单上时，我想我代表了大多数人的意见。我这么说是为了锻炼身体，但也因为你可以举办一些非常棒的家庭派对。我们意识到，对于北美和世界上较温暖地区的许多人来说，游泳池是相当接近愿望清单的顶端，我们明白了——所以让我们尽可能少地使用能源，并保持尽可能环保的游泳池。
Interesting sidenote, Quebec in Canada is “pool central” of North America!
当我们想到“游泳池”时，我们就会想到“阳光”——但在所有地方中，魁北克有超过30万个后院游泳池，甚至比安大略(人口比它多500万)还多，按人均计算比北美其他任何地方都多。上世纪90年代，一场声势浩大的营销活动使它们流行起来，当时的宣传语是“跳过一次家庭度假，享受20年游泳池”。
Quebec adds around 4000 pools every year, which has prompted the local energy provider Hydro Quebec to produce some very handy calculators to help you work out what the energy costs will be – one for calculatingswimming pool energy costs here, and one for working outhot tub energy costs here.
As most of you reading are not in Quebec where power is very cheap, the differential cost of electricity will have to be factored in. But these are still a useful point of comparison for some of the following energy saving tips we’re going to share for home pool cleaning and operation.
Swimming pools and hot tubs really do devour energy!
Here’s one fact we unearthed - homes with swimming pools or hot tubs consume, on average, double the energy of homes without pools. Now that’s bad, very bad!
但好消息是，有很多方法可以减少游泳池的能源消耗和热水浴缸的能源成本。The main way being, to build a more efficient pool from the start (and we will soon have an article on that, so be sure tosign up for free membershipso you know when we publish it).
但是，对于那些选择在家度假的人来说，很多游泳池都是一时冲动而购买的，没有很好的计划。下面是一些重要的建议，可以让你避免因为匆忙买了游泳池或水疗而在水电费上大出血。
Carefully aiming swimming pool jets saves energy and time
Firstly, here’s a free tip for reducing cleaning requirements for swimming pools, and saving time and energy in the process - aim the pool jets in a consistent direction to move water in currents towards the suction grids and skimmers.
In this author's experience, carefully aiming the jets in a 35ft x 16ft pool to create a circular current caused all the debris in the pool – pollen, leaves and insects with poor navigational skills - to one central point. This made for an easy clean up and saved time and energy on pumping and filtration.
This current also brought the surface debris around to the skimmers, which we fitted with "a washable skimmer sock system" to take out the maximum amount of larger debris.
这个简单的“泳池小黑客”的结果意味着我们不必倒水我们的沙过滤器一半的频率，节省能源和泳池化学品。这当然需要一些实验和微调，但一旦我们做对了，我们就能每天从泵的日常工作中减少近6小时，用手动池撇油器减少1小时。
Buy and fit a good quality timer for pool filtration systems to save electricity
This tip is only for those without a heat pump for heating your pool water.If you do have a heat pump, then you’ll have to either put that on the same timer routine, or not use one at all, as they rely on the filtration pump pushing the water around in order to cycle the unit heating the water.
Otherwise, if you havesolar panels for heating your pool, be sure to fit a thermostat and motorized valve arrangement to only circulate the water when it’s hotter in the solar accumulator than the pool, or it will work in reverse and cool your pool instead by radiating the heat out through the panels.
再一次，这是作为一个前泳池业主的经验之谈，在我们安装了游泳池后，我们的电费暴涨，这让他大吃一惊。对所有直接或间接消耗能量的东西进行微调，可以让我们在这个季节使用泳池的时间更长，更舒适，并节省大量的能量。
Purchase and use a pool cover and save on energy for heating.
If you have a swimming pool, it’s very likely that you will own a pool cover. If you don't, here’s why you should think about it being your next purchase. And, even if you do own one, you may not actually be using it properly so this tip is for you too!
As we explained in detail in our guideHeating a Swimming Pool - Top 10 Tips for Cost-Efficient & Eco-friendly ways to heat a pool, investing in a pool cover will prevent water evaporation, and it saves energy. You could save as much as 50% compared to pools that don’t get covered when not in use.
虽然有一个泳池盖只是故事的一部分——你需要确保你经常使用它，所以我们建议一个像样的泳池盖滚轮是一个好主意，这样它更少的麻烦。如果它是那种“气泡包”式的隔热泳池毯子，一定要把它有气泡的一面放在水里。
没有泳池盖的另一个缺点是，你的泳池暴露在阳光下，这反过来使它成为藻类生长的完美环境。这也不用说，你的泳池会保持干净得多，更久，你会避免所有的脏东西，如死虫子和你的花园漂浮在那里!
Efficient pool filtration systems save energy
节省电力，确保您的游泳池过滤系统有效地工作，并运行您的游泳池水泵在较短的时间内。这一点很重要!
如果泳池的水是清澈干净的，你会知道你有一个像样的过滤系统，相比之下，一个糟糕的过滤系统，水会是白色的和浑浊的。如果你是后者，你可能会发现你需要清洁很长一段时间才能得到想要的结果，或者更糟的是，仍然需要倾倒大量的游泳池化学品在水中以保持清洁。
正如我们上面提到的，我们在撇脂器上安装了泳池短袜系统，取得了很大的成功。但我们的泳池里以前会有很多狗毛和山羊毛，还有花粉，所以这台机器会把所有的东西都过滤掉，让沙子过滤器的压力更低，这就决定了什么时候需要反冲洗。Backflushing is bad for at least 3 reasons:
- Backflushing wastes water
- Backflushing wastes chemicals and puts them into the water table or sewage systems
- 然后用冷水替换回冲的温水。
There are three different types of filters for you to choose from too: cartridge, DE, or sand filters. Whichever one you choose ultimately determines the amount of energy you use. The cartridge filter doesn't require backwashing like the other two filters and is the most energy efficient because of its low resistance to water flow. But from time to time, most of these cartridge filters will need replacing unless youchoose a washable one.
Another way to conserve energy, is to run your pool’s pump in shorter intervals, for example, 5 to 6 hours rather than the standard 8 hours. However, we’d suggest running it during the day so you don’t accidentally forget about it after a few sweet sherries and leave it running overnight. We would call that defeating the purpose…
值得注意的是，高效泵不需要运行很长时间。
We would also advise making sure your pool equipment is up to par, and that it was bought from a credible dealer and working correctly. This is a win-win, for both your bank balance and the environment!
ENERGY STAR certified and multi-speed pool pumps save energy
On the back of our previous point, with millions of you already having swimming pools (and hundreds of thousands being built every year) and given that pool pumps are a pretty major component, we think it’s important to mention how much electricity ENERGY STAR certified pumps can save.
You may not even be aware of just how much energy simply running your pool pump is wasting if you happen to have bought a standard quality pool pump.
Basically, ENERGY STAR pool pump speeds vary based on the pool's operation. For example, regular everyday filtration only requires half the flow rate of running a skimmer type pool cleaner. Conventional pool pumps on the other hand, with only one speed, are set to run at the higher speeds required of the pool cleaner, so they consume unnecessary amounts of energy during the regular filtration operation by running faster than is really needed.
Opting for an ENERGY STAR certified pool pump can save you considerable amounts of energy, as reducing the pump speed by one-half allows the pump to operate on only one-eighth of the energy. These pumps can run at different speeds and be programmed to match the pool operation with its appropriate pool pump speed. ENERGY STAR certified pool pumps generally have more efficient motors and advanced hydraulic designs.
It’s worth looking out for an ENERGY STAR certified pool pumps specifically as they have been independently tested and certified to save energy and money. In fact, here’s what’s been proven:
- ENERGY STAR Certified in-ground pool pumps use up to 65% less energy than standard pool pumps and can save more than $450 a year in energy bill costs; and,
- Certified above-ground pool pumps use about 17% less energy and can save more than $130 over the lifetime of the product.
如果你想通过购买多速游泳池水泵来节省能源，可以在这里在线比较价格。
所以lar powered heating system saves energy while extending comfort
While the initial cost of installing solar water heaters might be high, in the long run it makes financial sense. You can even connect the solar panels so they can serve both your home when they are not required for the pool - formore details on solar heating of pools, see here.
Choose and install a high COP rated Heat Pump Pool Heater to save electricity
Getting the best heat pump for your installation and setting it all up to run at maximum efficiency and electricity savings is best left to a swimming pool specialist, as there are many factors to take into consideration. For a full description of HPPHs and their sizing, how they save energy, and as solar heating systems for pools, see ourhow to guide on energy saving ways to heat a pool here.
Robotic pool cleaners save on electricity costs
Robot pool cleaners have revolutionized the swimming pool cleaning task and are an energy saving method of moving toward the goal of ‘greener’ pools.Essentially, they’re a Roomba for your swimming pool - now who wouldn't want one of those!
首先，我们必须说，自动泳池清洁器是多么方便。有一个小机器人去为你的游泳池维护不仅节省了大量的时间和精力(留下更多的时间在您的家庭游泳池享受游泳)，但它可以让游泳池一尘不染和闪闪发光的清洁，同时给予好处，如更低的能源成本，更长的寿命的游泳池循环系统，和更少浪费的水在过滤器回流。
But don’t robotic pool cleaners use electricity too?
使用自动机器人泳池清洁器节省能源的秘密在于它们是自我维持的。因此，一个机器人泳池清洁器不依赖于你的泳池过滤器、泵或增压泵来产生动力。If you’re anything like me and are a bit of a technophobe as well, I’m sure you're asking yourself ‘How easy is a robot pool cleaner to use?’
Well, let me tell you that using a robotic swimming pool cleaner is as easy as plugging the low voltage transformer into a standard protected exterior outlet, turning on the power supply unit, and placing the robot into the pool.
Robotic pool cleaners also use their own filtration system and catch debris via their own built-in canister. They efficiently eliminate debris and pollutants like algae and bacteria, without generating much heat or producing harmful gases. They use only as much energy as a standard light bulb, an average of about 197 kWh per year.
This also prevents wear and tear on your pool filter, and since it won’t have to work as hard, it also reduces the frequency of filter replacement. Can you imagine the savings already?
Just a little note from me to you though - remember to still run your pool’s pump/filter regularly to circulate the water. It’s just not necessary to have it on while your little robot is doing its thing, and the hours of pump operation can probably be reduced too while still enjoying crystal-clear water.
Lower energy costs for swimming pool maintenance with a robot pool cleaner
Using an average of about 180 Watts, you’ll be consuming 82% less power (820W) compared to your regular booster pump和过滤动力类型的清洁剂，您插入撇脂器，需要超过1000瓦或1kWH运行。你的时间和金钱都将节省下来，更不用说这是一种“更环保”的能源消耗替代方案。
Programmable -机器人泳池清洁机通常包括一个功能，规划清洁时间表。它们中的一些非常聪明，它们可以计算你的游泳池的大小，并为自己编程，以最有效的清洁模式和最小化的操作时间。基本上，设置它然后忘记它。
大多数模型还配备了一个智能扫描系统，所以他们会绘制出你的泳池，并拥有导航的知识，提供100%的覆盖率。这意味着它们不会卡在角落里迷失方向，这多亏了它们的前进和后退马达。如果你有一台Roomba，你可能已经知道机器人清洁工有多烦人了，也就是“救命，我被困在悬崖上了!”所以shop around here online for the best deals on better quality pool robotsis our advice.
Reduced chemicals and water use-有了一个机器人泳池清洁你不需要反冲洗你的游泳池的过滤系统，因此，你将使用更少的化学物质，并将更少的化学物质排放到地下水和当地水道。
Aside from filters, robotic pool cleaners have their own motor running entirely independently of your pool’s pump and main filtration system. This means that the water is finely filtered while it’s cleaning your pool and will provide better water circulation than pressure or suction side cleaners.
Low flow-如果你的泳池使用双泵或变速泵，这些特别有用，机器人清洗器直接从低压源运行，让过滤系统以最低的流量运行最长的时间，实现最大的节能。
What makes of robotic pool cleaners are best?
你可以找到一些低于500美元的机器人清洁工，但平均价格在500美元到1000美元之间。While the inexpensive models will certainly get the job done, premium models have more convenient features such as waterline scrubbing, rapid water release for easy removal, remote controls, and programmable cleaning cycles.
As of yet we haven’t found an ENERGY STAR Certified one, however here are a few that we think would do the trick:
Dolphin E10 (for above ground pools)- Designed for above ground swimming pools up to 30 feet in length. It takes less than 2 hours to clean your pool with built-in water filtering and scrubbing.
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus (for inground pools)-适合长度达50英尺的游泳池。电力电缆长60英尺，有一个独特的旋转机构。诺第留斯号有一个滤筒，而不是反效果的袋。它可以在短短2小时内清洁大型泳池，包括双刷刷和内置时间表使用3个设置:每天，每隔一天，或每3天。海豚清洁工是超级节能的。平均运营成本约为每小时0.05美元。
SharkVac Series- SharkVac and the SharkVac XL offer two powerful ways to eliminate dirt and debris, they both use smart steering technology that provides an efficient cleaning pattern, scouring pool floors and coves.
Hayward TigerShark-这种清洁剂使用滤芯而不是袋。它有一个三小时的清洗系统和优秀的吸力。它不仅能清洁池底，还能清洁池边，甚至池底的台阶。
AquaVac 500 Series– This one is super easy to use. It has out-of-water sensor to protect the motor by preventing cleaners from running out of the water. It has a modern design with a dual traction system and two cleaning programs - a fast 90 minute pool floor only cleaning setting, or deep 3-hour setting that also includes the walls and waterline cleaning.
Polaris 9400 Sports 4WD- One of the most tech-savvy cleaners of all time. It has a built-in computer system that processes the shape and size of the pool and can clean a pool with a maximum length of fifty feet. It’s ActivMotion Sensor determines the most efficient cleaning method.
Shop and compare robotic swimmming pool cleaners online here.
Cleaning and maintaining swimming pools while economizing energy – conclusion
Overall, it goes without saying that it takes a lot of materials, water, and electricity to build and maintain a pool - which all means lots of energy used.However, it’s quite possible to create a more eco-friendly swimming environment for the whole family to enjoy while saving yourself some money on energy in the process - so long as you take some simple steps.
无论你是建造你的第一个游泳池还是翻新一个现有的，都可以采取一些措施，以最有效的方式设计和建造一个“绿色”游泳池。
In terms of pool types and options - chlorine-treated pools, which use a separate filtration system and are built using steel, concrete, and/or fiberglass, are the most common.
However, for those of us who are constantly looking to reduce their carbon footprint, builders should know about the following alternatives…
For instance,natural swimming pools (NSPs), constructed using materials like gravel and clay, have increased in popularity around the globe. These pools use plants—installed near the swimming area—as a natural filtration system. This makes the water safe for swimming without consuming energy or using chemicals.
And the swimming experience of a natural pool is in an entirely different leaque. Its like swimming in a clean lake, so you don't come out itchy and red with stinging eyes from the chlorine. Good old nature, nothing beats that!
传统的化学处理泳池的另一个环保替代方案是使用盐-氯发生器将盐转化为氯。这些水池易于维护，操作成本更低，氯含量更低，减少化学品需求。
I see your eyes lighting up here, if you’re thinking about renovating or building your first ever pool, these options are all definitely worth taking a look into and implementing! If you have any extra questions, comments or helpful tips to help save electricity when you’re running a pool or hot tub, please leave a comment below and we will reply.
Now you know more abouteco-friendly, top tips for energy efficient swimming pools, find out more aboutnatural pools, efficient pool heating and all about sustainable home buildingin the pages below and in the EcoHomeGreen Building Guides.
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