How Renewable Energy Can Heat Your Home Swimming Pool

It’s fair to say that many British families have made the well-informed decision to forgo vacations for the foreseeable future. Given the ongoing danger of the Corona Virus and the lack of confidence surrounding quarantine upon your return, we can effectively put an end to it.

Naturally, we look to possibilities in the UK for a domestic adventure. Alternatively, you could be hesitatingly considering having a swimming pool installed. Perhaps you already own a pool and are looking for ways to cut costs. Maybe you just want to lessen your carbon footprint.

Having a pool isn’t the most ecologically friendly option. However, it might be argued that it is the better option when compared to long-haul flights and the emissions produced by huge hotel chains. It’s surprisingly easy to keep your prices down and your energy pure by heating your pool with renewable energy.

Let’s examine the possibilities

how renewable energy can heat swimming pool

  • Air source heat pumps are available expressly for swimming pools and are surprisingly economical, especially when compared to the expenditure you’d make on buying a pool in the first place. You can use them in two ways to sustainably heat your pool.
  • Prices for an air source heat pump for a small pool start at roughly £2,000. An item like this NIBE F2040 could be the best option, but a Green Square installer can always provide guidance on the alternatives.
  • ASHPs may be quickly and simply plugged into the filtration system to begin intercepting the clean water as it returns to the pool.

If you currently have an ASHP installed in your house as your primary heating source, you may use it to heat your pool as well. You can directly channel the energy from ASHP to heat your pool water during the summer when you’re not using it for house heating. For environmentally-conscious pool owners, this is a no-brainer and sensible by design. Because the air is already warm and the water is cold, at 29 degrees, ASHPs are particularly effective in the summer.  Up to 8 Coefficients of Performance (COP) are possible with a heat pump. By comparing the heat output from the condenser (Q) with the power provided to the compressor (W), the coefficient of performance, or COP, is a measure of a heat pump’s efficiency. Therefore, in this scenario, 1 kW of energy will produce 8 kW of thermal energy.

Heat Pumps can also be combined with PV solar panels

These PV panels frequently create more energy in the summer than they need, so you may have enough to add to your battery storage, sell to the public grid, or utilize elsewhere in your house. You ought should be able to operate your heat pump comfortably with a 4 kwp system. The RHI (renewable heat incentive), which allows homes to invest in renewable technology and receive payments for up to 7 years, will still apply to Air Source Heat Pumps, and that’s the best part. This substantially lowers your energy costs. Recall that you can receive the renewable heat incentive for an air source heat pump that you use to heat both your home and your pool, but not for only the pool.

Ground Source Heat Pumps

The preferred techniques for heating outdoor pools in the summer are, as noted, solar thermal and air source heat pumps. Because indoor pools are open all year round, the situation is slightly different. Ground-source heat pumps earn recognition for their efficiency in delivering the required reliable heating results. If you encounter limited space, consider the horizontal installation of ground-source heat pumps; conversely, if you have more space, opt for vertical installation through a borehole. The amount of heat that the pool holds determines the size of a ground source heat pump. It is crucial to have good insulation surrounding the pool and the structure that houses it.  Speak with a swimming pool professional to determine your pool’s heat load. They should also be able to determine the dehumidification load. This is influenced by the heat pump or supplementary heating system.

Solar Thermal

As indicated, you may utilize a solar thermal system alone or in conjunction with an air source heat pump to generate all of your renewable energy needs.  Despite the fact that solar panels are more widely known, solar thermal has been used for a longer period of time.  They are less expensive to purchase, install, and operate than gas and ASHP swimming pool heaters. Once installed, they are also completely free of charge.

Solar thermal panels are known for their low maintenance requirements and durability—they can happily endure up to 20 years! After the filtration process, the pool water flows through a solar collector. The solar collector utilizes sensors to absorb heat from the sun and warm the water up. A flow control valve then pushes the heated water back into the pool. Even in the warmest months, hotter climes employ these solar collectors to actively absorb cooler water at night.

The devices that are available to automatically detect water temperature are even more ingenious.  They can determine if the collector temperature is lower or greater than the pool temperature as needed. They automatically decide whether to direct the water through the collector to heat the pool. Alternatively, they may omit it and just keep the pool at the same temperature. Solar thermal collectors have a straightforward design and are inexpensive. They may pay for themselves in 2 to 6 years due to their longer average lifespan than gas or ASHPs.

Considerations for Effective Pool Heating

Of course, this is dependent on a number of variables, including the size of the pool and regional average temperatures. It is also influenced by factors such as the presence of a pool cover, the length of the summer, and the desired pool temperature. One of the finest methods for heating a pool is solar thermal. This is especially true if you tend to use your pool exclusively during the day. It’s particularly beneficial on days in the summer when the temperature is over 22 degrees.

Choosing the Right Renewable Energy Source

In conclusion, renewable energy sources, including solar, geothermal, wind, biomass, and heat pumps, may all be great choices. They offer an economical and environmentally friendly way to heat your home pool. The system you choose will depend on elements like your location, financial situation, and pool size. Conducting a careful study is crucial. Speaking with a specialist will help you find the best renewable energy option for your particular requirements.

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