Solar Pool Heating
A solar pool heating system is an economical alternative to conventional pool heaters. Heating a pool with gas or electricity would increase your utility bill tremendously. With a solar pool heating system from Solar Heating Canada heating costs can be cut by up to 80%.
With a solar pool heating system, a pool can be constantly heated using free solar energy. Even on cloudy days, a solar pool heater will collect solar energy to heat pools of any size.
Solar Pool Heating
There are two types of solar pool heating systems: closed loop and open loop. Closed loop solar pool heating systems are used to heat indoor pools throughout the year. While open loop solar pool heating is used to heat seasonal outdoor pools.
Compare the savings
Initial Investment of solar pool heating
The cost of our solar pool heating system is usually between $6,000 and $8,000 for a typical 300-400 square foot pool. The solar pool heating system demands a higher initial investment than a gas or electric pool heating system but you will recover the initial investment in a relatively short time depending on how often it is used and on the price of natural gas which seems to only go up.
Operating costs of traditional vs solar pool heating
The operating costs of our solar pool heating systems are almost zero while the operating costs of a gas pool heater are usually greater than $1000 a month for an average pool of 300-400 square feet.
Savings and payback of solar pool heating
In order to compare the payback and savings of pool heating systems let us assume we are using a 400 square foot pool for 10 years. The cost analysis would be:
Gas Pool Heating System (10 Years)
Initial Investment: $2,500
Operating Costs: $10,000 (guess)
Total Costs: $12,500
Solar Pool Heating System (10 Years)
Initial Investment: $5,000 (including installation)
Operating Costs: $500 (maintenance)
Total Costs: $5,500
It is very clear that a solar pool heating system for the case above can be paid back in 3 years. The savings over a 10 year period are $7,000. This can be a much higher saving depending on the size of pool and how often it is used. A research study has been performed by Natural Resources Canada on the cost of solar, gas and electric pool heating systems.
Cost comparison of solar heaters, gas heaters and heat pumps
| Type Of Heater | Installation Cost | Annual Cost | Total Cost After 15 Years |
| Natural Gas | $2,300-$4,900 | $350-$1,200 | $7,500-$22,900 |
| Heat Pump | $3,100-$6,400 | $160-$500 | $5,500-$13,900 |
| Solar Collector | $3,000-$6,000 | $0 | $3,100-$5,750 |
Referenced from Natural Resources Canada
Note: These costs are based on a natural gas price of $9.13 per gigajoule and an electricity price of $0.08 per kilowatt-hour.
How Solar Outdoor Pool Heating Works
Solar pool heating via an open loop system works by diverting pool water to solar collectors before it reaches the pool's heating system. The current pool heater - electric or gas - can be used as a backup to heat the water more, if required. This greatly reduces the amount of time required to heat a pool and drastically reduces heating costs.
The open loop system is easily integrated into the pool's current circulation cycle. The current pool water circulation system is designed to circulate water from the pool into a filter, strainer and a water heating system if available. Due to the high cost of heating a pool, most pool owners do not install a conventional water heating system. However, the water is still circulated through a filter and strainer in order to keep the pool water clean.
Open Loop Solar Pool Heating System
How Solar Hot Tub Heating Works
A closed loop solar hot tub heating system heats water via a heat exchanger. This system is more common for hot tubs or indoor pools. A closed loop system is designed to work with the existing water circulation system where water is diverted into a heat exchanger tank which is heated by the solar collectors. Once the water in the tank is hot it flows from the tank into the hot tub.
Closed Loop Solar Hot Tub Heating System
Hot tub water circulation systems are designed to circulate water from the hot tub into a filter, strainer and a heating system if one is installed. Therefore the circulation pump is used to pump the water into the heat exchanger tank where it is heated by solar energy.
This system is completely automated and can be set to heat the water to any desired temperature. Once the controller senses that the desired temperature has been achieved it stops heating the water.