Although the current energy problems are a national issue, the Western Cape has been particularly hard hit with extensive load shedding having taken place in February and March - with future load shedding a distinct possibility. There is an urgent need to cut back on power consumption and in so doing, assist Eskom in avoiding inconvenient and disruptive load shedding. We all need to make a difference and the pool pump is often ignored as a consumer of electricity. (A pool pump may consume as much as 12% of a household’s power usage).
 

Below are a few useful energy-saving tips

• Running times for swimming pool pumps are advised to be 12 hours per day in summer and 6 hours per day in mid winter. Ensuring that these adjustments are made will result in an energy saving of up to 50% in winter (at the time when other demands increase).
   
• Your pool must be fitted with a good working timer switch to ensure that the pump is not left running unnecessarily thus wasting energy. Make sure you know how to correctly operate and adjust your timer.
   
• During winter the running time should be adjusted to a time frame outside of peak energy consumption hours i.e. outside of the hours7 to 10am and 4 to 7 pm. This will assist in alleviating the demand on the grid.
   
• Never oversize the swimming pool pump without similarly replacing the filter and pipe work with a suitable size. Oversized pumps will draw up to100% more energy with no significant increase in performance unless the rest of the equipment is also changed to suit. Check with your NSPI pool professional to advise you if your equipment is balanced.
   
• Covering your pool will not only result in a significant water saving through reduced evaporation but can also safely reduce the required running time of your pool pump by a further 2 hours per day, resulting in an additional energy saving of up to 33%.
   
• Always ensure regular maintenance of your pool equipment, as this could impact on the power consumption substantially. Backwash regularly and clean the baskets to ensure the least amount of strain on the pump. A pump that requires new bearings (whining or screeching sound) will draw more power than the same pump in a well maintained state. The filter sand should be replaced regularly (every 2-3 years) with a good grade of filter sand as this will reduce the load on the pool pump and therefore reduce the energy consumption.
   

Heated Pools

Do not run your swimming pool solar heating system during winter when little or no chance exists of using the pool as this will place additional strain on the pool pump resulting in energy wastage.
Always cover your pool at night (and whenever not in use) as this will save on the heat loss and therefore save energy on the reheating of the pool.

Prepared by: Tony de Beer

Article sourced from the NSPI website: http://www.nspi.co.za/ with their full knowledge and permission.