The Electric Pool Heater Cape Coral, FL Loves

• Electric Pool Heaters
  The efficiency of an electric pool pump is related to the air temperature vs. the pool water temperature. When the outdoor temperature is moderately high, the efficiency can be incredible. For just one unit of electricity (kWH), you can get about six times the heating energy (BTU) into your pool water. Electric heat pumps are prevalent in Florida and for an adequate reason. Since electric heat pumps utilize the latent heat in the air to heat your pool, warm Florida daytime temperatures complement the electric pool pump. Regardless, as the ambient temperature drops, the efficiency of an electric heat pump decreases. In fact, at a certain temperature, electric heat pumps will stop working or will be astronomically ineffective. Meaning you could be using electricity while barely putting heating your pool. The electric heat pump may be ineffective overnight if you want to swim or enjoy a spa on a chilly morning. An electric pool heater in Cape Coral, FL uses a ton of electricity when you need it the most! Think of an electric pool heater as a really big Air Conditioner working in reverse – it is vastly harder to heat water than to cool air! Electric heat pumps can take several hours to heat up a pool, with about a couple of degrees of heat rise per hour. If you run your electric pool pump solely during the day, the electric heat pump will start over each day to regain heat lost overnight. The best way to retain heat loss from overnight is to cover your pool! Some heat pump manufacturers and dealers present the “dollar-a-day” cost to operate an electric heat pump; however, the temperatures acquired are often not warm enough for many individuals when you read the fine print. There are disclaimers about excluding days below specific temperatures. The bottom line is that electric pool heaters cost the most to utilize when you require them the most, i.e. when your pool is the coolest.

• Solar Pool Heaters
  Solar Pool Heaters have no operational cost and work every day of the year while being very effective at providing luxuriously warm water and extending the swimming season!
  
  Solar pool heaters have the distinct feature of being the only pool heating option that involves no direct operational costs. You can experience heated pool water every day of the year, with temperatures reaching up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above that of an unheated pool in some cases. Typical daily maximum temperatures exceed that of unheated pools by about 10ºF, or 15ºF if using a pool cover. In Southwest Florida, that is good enough to provide almost year-round swimming enjoyment.
  
  On the downside, if you are looking for even warmer temperatures, or want to quickly heat a spa (solar heaters can take a couple to a few hours to heat up a spa to 100ºF on a good day), a solar pool heater may not be reliable enough for you. If you want to virtually guarantee a set temperature each day, solar pool heaters will not be the best choice. After all, it’s a weather-dependent technology! On the other hand, an electric heat pump can’t provide a guarantee either (see above). Like electric heat pumps, solar pool heaters will result in the warmest water later in the day after the sun has had a chance to work its magic. While heat pumps promise relatively energy-efficient pool heating, there is still a cost involved, and that cost is hard to anticipate. Solar pool heaters will heat your pool every day of the year without operating costs. Solar pool heaters also last about twice as long as a regularly used heat pump, and the maintenance costs are far lower (virtually nil in most cases). Since the initial cost of a solar pool heater is similar to the cost of a quality heat pump, many people conclude that the ongoing costs of a heat pump will likely prevent them from using it often, which translates into less enjoyment of their pool.

Should I Choose an Electric Pool Heater or a Solar Pool Heater?
The choice is yours. Heat pumps provide fairly reliable temperatures most of the year, but at a cost, as long as you plan ahead. Solar pool heaters reliably heat your pool a certain number of degrees above an unheated pool every day of the year, but cannot achieve a set temperature if it exceeds the capability of the system. Solar pool heaters and electric heat pumps are both weather-dependent technology in different ways, and at some times solar pool heaters and electric heat pumps may not be able to work at all. For example, solar pool heaters do not work at night, so pool heating needs to be done during the day. Heat pumps don’t work when the temperature gets very cool, and if they do they cost an arm and a leg to operate.

Can I have both Electric Pool Heater and Solar Pool Heater?
Solar pool heaters can complement an electric heat pump very well (or vice-versa). If your budget allows, you can install both systems. The solar pool heater will do the heavy lifting by heating your pool every day and maintaining higher average temperatures so your heat pump will run less (far less). Automation systems can make this marriage work seamlessly. It is a common situation to have a homeowner or commercial owner that is tired of high electric bills install solar panels to reduce the electricity costs. In fact, in many situations where we add a solar pool heater to an existing heat pump, owners report never using the heat pump again, or use the heat pump only for spa heating.

In the end, the combination, or hybrid system as we call it, can be the best of both worlds.

Unlike solar energy, which is affected by levels of sunshine or gas heaters that can be affected by extreme temperatures, electricity is a constant in our day-to-day lives. This makes the electric pool heater the most reliable pool heater you can own, but can be costly to run, especially if you like your pool very warm. So another significant benefit of electric pool heaters is their versatility, you can pair both an electric pool heater and a solar pool heater together, saving you money! This is a significant perk for those who live in areas where the summer air can cause pools to morph into extra-large hot tubs.