Australia is currently experiencing one of its hottest summers on record, with temperatures soaring well into the 40’s. Air conditioners and swimming pools have been absolute lifesavers. However, they tend to chip away at your bank account, potentially giving you a real shock when a hefty bill arrives in the mail.
Unfortunately, it’s an issue which is all too common, shocking many home owners, who typically expect high energy bills in the winter and are surprised when their summer bills soar. The fact is that “heating and cooling are responsible for 40 per cent of your energy usage”. Galaxy Research recently discovered that “energy bills had increased for 60 per cent of Australian households during the past 12 months” and that over 50% of Australians suffered from bill shock in their latest electricity bill.
This is obviously a concern for many Australian households and begs the questions, how can I decrease my bills this summer? Well, the team at Boss have compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you keep your costs down:
1. Install Solar Pool Heating
When trying to save money on your pools running costs, there is no going past solar pool heating. It is by far the cheapest pool heating option, as it is powered by the suns free solar energy saving you tens of thousands of dollars, compared to running costs of gas and heat pumps over just a few years.
2. Purchase a Pool Blanket
A Pool Blanket is a fantastic investment, it dramatically decreases water loss through evaporation. Installing a Pool blanket will also save you money as it decreases water, heat and chemical loss from your pool.
3. Switch off any Water Features or Lights
Switching of pool features such as fountains, waterfalls, or coloured lights will help to decrease your running costs.
4. Be a Fierce Negotiator
The Australian energy market is highly deregulated; this has resulted in fierce competition and high bargaining power for consumers. Therefore it is highly recommended that consumers negotiate and bargain hard for the best energy deal. In an article by Leggatt, it was recommended that home owners call their retailer and find out if you are getting the best deal. It was stated that ‘everything is up for negotiation’ and ‘consumers should snap up deals and discounts,’ however always remember to read the fine print!
5. Add your Pool Chemicals at Night
By adding your chemicals at night, you can cut your chemical cost by up to 50%. This is due to the ultra violet light in natural sunlight degrading the chlorine during the day. In fact, if you’re stabilizers levels are too low, ‘an entire pool’s worth of chlorine can be destroyed by direct sunlight in just a couple of hours’.
Additionally, by putting the chemicals in at night you will be required to run your pump and filter at night too. The benefit of this is that electrical tariffs are much cheaper at night than they are through the day, especially in summer. Therefore, you’ll by paying less for your electricity bills.
6. Ensure Trees and Leafy Plants are Away from the Pool
Debris such as leaves, bark and dirt has the ability to upset your pools chemical balance and diminish its chlorine levels, block the filter, strainer and tubes; therefore making your overall system work harder.
For that reason, it’s a good idea to cut any overhanging branches and relocate leafier plants.
After all, less debris means that your filter and chemicals don’t need to work as hard.
7.If you have fossil fuelled heaters (heat Pumps or Gas) Only Heat your Pool When it’s in Use
If you don’t have a solar pool heating system here is no point in heating your pool through the week if you know you are only going to be using it on the weekends. If you lower the thermostat on your pool by several degrees on week days, you will be amazed by how much energy you will save.
However if you have solar, this will not be necessary as the running cost of solar are extremely low.
8. New Energy Efficient Technologies
As new technology is developed, new energy efficient pool components are released. Replacing your old energy zapping components, with new energy efficient ones may allow you to save money in the long run. For example, retrofitting existing halogen or incandescent pool lights with LED is not only easy, but will save you a bundle in energy bills.
You could also consider replacing your traditional pool pump with a variable speed pump, which is 30 – 50% more energy efficient.
By adopting these tips you can save money on your electricity and chemical bills.
Do you have any other tips to save money on your pools running costs? We would love to hear about them, email us at [email protected]. Or are you considering adopting solar pool heating? Find out more about the benefits and our range at https://www.bosssolar.com.au/solar-heating/
