energy efficient pool covers

An energy efficient swimming pool cover can be a cheap and very effective investment, providing energy savings up to 50% or more by preventing heat loss.

Savings by reducing heat losses

To be energy efficient a pool cover should be used in a daily base during the whole swimming season: you should take it off before swimming and replace the cover after using the pool or late in the day.

Swimming pools lose energy in a variety of ways, namely by evaporation but also by ventilation and radiation. A good pool cover can limit such loss in both outdoor and indoor pools.

Savings up to 50% or even up to 70% are possible. In this sense, an efficient energy efficient swimming pool cover is the single most important element for energy savings, though they vary with climate conditions, patterns of use, types of covers, etc.

Other advantages of a pool cover

Besides being a very effective means to keep heat in a pool, pool covers are also excellent to reduce chemical consumption (often up 40%–50%), to conserve water (it can reduce the amount of make-up water by 30%–50%) or to reduce the cleaning time and to keep dirt and debris out of the pool...

Solar pool covers

Solar pool cover fabric Solar (or bubble) pool covers are now the most common type of covers in the market. Though from the family of bubble packing material, they have UV inhibitors and are much more resilient (be wary of cheap bubble fabric).

You can find them in home improvement stores or online in sites like Amazon.com.

Some solar covers may even raise the water temperatures (by up to 15%, according to the claims of some manufacturers) by acting like a solar panel during sunlight hours.

Possible disadvantages of solar pool covers

Solar pool covers are excellent to lower energy bills, and to enhance the comfort provided by your pool, and are easy to use and inexpensive (you may have a 20x40 solar cover for about $150: see Amazon: Pool Solar Cover 20 x 40 Rectangle (See all Swimming Pool Solar Blankets)).

But to be truly energy-efficient these covers have to be used properly during the whole swimming season. Taking off the cover and replacing it in a daily base is crucial. Without it there isn't truly energy efficient pool covers.

To ease that daily task you may use a reel (blanket reel systems around $100 or even less are common. See, for instance: Amazon.com Blanket Reel System).

Choosing another type of pool cover

Automated Pool cover Besides the increasingly common solar pool covers, there are other more traditional and resilient covers such as those fabricated with laminated foam and reinforced polyethylene sheeting for maximum insulation and to provide safety for children...

Vinyl covers are also particularly common and very resilient, but pay attention to it's eco-unfriendly side (vinyl is a poisonous plastic with a harmful impact during its manufacturing and product life).

Image: Automated Pool Cover from Alta Entreprises

Transparency vs. opacity of pool covers

Pay also attention to the issue of transparency vs. opacity. Opaque covers may reduce solar energy absorption by 20%–40%, that is, about three times more than transparent covers.

That's an element to consider - associated to the type of cover, lifespan, price, usage... - when looking for a energy efficient pool cover.

Pool covers Lifespan

Pool covers lifespan is typically low (improvised DIY pool covers made from sheets of plastic will tear and deteriorate in some few months).

UV radiation deteriorates pool covers quickly and their lifespan is not more than 3 to 5 years when subjected to regular use and regularly exposed to sunlight. So, unless investing in a very inexpensive pool cover, make sure that the cover comes with a minimum 2-year warranty. Also pay attention to its ease of use and the system available to move the cover off and on (hand crank, automated, motor...).