POOL SOLAR

Pairing the Right Pool Size to Solar Installation Standards

The popularity of pool solar solutions is on the rise, and for a good reason. Solar Pool Heating for pools is great for the environment, and it’s also a customized strategy for those who always want to have sustainable control over water temperature.

Ultimately, a Solar Pool Heater can be fitted to a pool of any size. The general rule of thumb is that the square footage of the installed solar panel collector should be as close as possible to the total square footage of the pool.

That said, solar for pools is very dependent on the average climate and the desired heat levels to be maintained. Pools with larger dimensions will inevitably require more and likely larger solar panels than those needed for a smaller pool.

If you’re interested in pool solar options, it’s essential to consider how many months out of the year that you use your pool. Pools that remain open for the entire year will require larger solar collectors. If your pools open seasonally, you can likely outfit it with smaller panels.

The general recommendation by the Department of Energy is that the solar collector is between 50% and 100% of the pool’s total surface square footage. That means if a pool has dimensions of 15 feet x 20 feet, the solar collector used to generate energy needs to be between 150 and 300 square feet in size.

The Logistics of Mounting Pool Solar Panels

Deciding to incorporate a solar pool heater, panels, or other sustainable energy solutions into your outdoor recreation area is a great choice. Knowing where and how to mount solar panels for maximum energy generation is the next step in the process.                              

Customers we work with are often thrilled to find that they have many options when it comes to solar panel placement for a pool. Any position on a roof with sufficient sun exposure and adequate surface area to support the panel works for the mounting of the equipment.                               

Space near a pool pump that receives sufficient sunlight is also prime for the mounting of a solar panel. While solar collectors should ideally be southern-facing, positioning a panel 45 degrees east or west of this optimum placement won’t significantly hinder energy generation.                               

Those aiming to heat their pool in the winter will need solar panels tilted at a specific latitude or angle, with an additional 15 degrees factored in. Our customers in Florida will often find that mounting solar panels directly to a sloping roof provides the most satisfying results.

Using a Solar Pool Cover to Maximize Energy Savings

When it comes to successfully heating your pool with solar energy, using a solar pool cover is a small step that makes a huge difference. A solar pool cover can efficiently help retain heat, which reduces energy costs overall.

These innovative solar features are designed to absorb thermal energy from the sun and directly transfer that heat to the pool’s surface. The surface is where the most heat is generally lost through the evaporation process. Reducing evaporation through this solar heat transfer lengthens the swimming season and helps save on costs associated with energy bills, chemicals, and filter maintenance.

In most cases, the use of a solar cover can increase the temperature of the water by 15 degrees without needing to utilize gas or propane. Many people using solar covers for their pools cut their heating costs down anywhere from 50% to 70%. You can experience these results whether you use the covers on an above-ground or an in-ground pool.