Summer is just around the corner. Get your swimsuits ready, put your floaties on and lather yourselves up with sunscreen because this weekend marks the official start of pool season! Yes, you can keep cool indoors with your air conditioners blasting (efficiently, of course!), but nothing beats some fun in the sun and quality pool time. Sometimes, though, with all the fun associated with our pools, we forget that they should be green too! (Not in color, if your pool is actually green you may want to get it looked at!) So, when it comes to your pool, is there more that can be done to increase its efficiency?

Find Your Filtration Sweet Spot

A clean pool is a happy pool! A clean pool is also the only pool that I will swim in but that’s beside the point. Instead of simply running your water filter all day, every day, consider slowly reducing pool filtration time by 30 minutes each day. Continue to reduce the filtration time as long as the water appears clean. You may just find that instead of running your filter for 12 hours a day, your pool (and wallet) can be just as happy with 6 hours of filtration! This is a great way to save some dough and some energy!

Make Your Pool Pretty

Like you needed another excuse to garden! We’ve already worked to make your garden gorgeously green, why not spend some time doing the same to your pool area? There are benefits to adding landscaping, hedges, fencing, and outbuildings to your pool. These things provide windbreak- that means they shelter your pool from winds which can lead to high evaporation rates and heat loss. That’s no good! Just make sure to place them high and close enough to the pool. If the distance or height is wrong, you may create turbulence which could increase the evaporation rate! Hanging by the pool will be so much more enjoyable when it’s all done up, won’t it?!

Cover It Up

Ahh, the piece de resistance: pool covers! A quality pool cover can save energy, water and money!  They work to naturally trap heat and reduce water evaporation from your pool. According to the Department of Energy, “covering a pool when it is not in use is the single most effective means of reducing pool heating costs,” potentially cutting your cost by 50-70%! They also conserve water by reducing evaporation by up to 50% percent, they help keep your pool clean (less water filtering needed!) and reduce the need for pool chemicals to boot! Pool covers are a no-brainer!

And you thought pools were just for swimming! Pools aren’t cheap, guys! Saving energy is about the environment, for sure, but one major benefit is that you might just save yourselves some money in the process.

Take some time to invest in some of these tips, and please let me know how they work out for you. Spread the word and share these with your friends, family, acquaintances, enemies, pool-cleaners- anyone who might benefit from a little info on pool resource-efficiency. If you have comments or some more pool tips, I’d love to hear them in the comments section. Don’t be shy!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and some fun in the sun! Cheers!