Wattblock
  • Solar
  • Batteries
  • EV-Charging
  • Hot Water
  • Lighting
  • Resources
    • Solar Training
    • EV Charging Training
    • Webinars
    • Case Studies
    • News Feed
    • Blog
    • Education Centre
    • Buying an Eco Apartment in Sydney
  • About Us
    • Background
    • Team
  • Enquiry

Strata Pools Draining Energy

9/1/2017

0 Comments

 
While pools are a blessing in the Australian heat, they’re a double-whammy in the cost department: they not only consume a significant amount of energy, but can also require regular water top ups as well.
On average they’re responsible for 12% of common area energy usage in apartment buildings. Luckily there are many projects that can be implemented to save up to 80% on the running costs of the pool. The good news? It won't require the most expensive pump on the market.

​Pump It
The biggest offender of energy usage is the pool pump, but it’s possible to save big by swapping to a minimum 5-star rated pool pump. In fact, in a study on pools in residential homes, it was found that upgrading to a 5-star pump provided the highest return on investment due to its cost to savings ratio. 
Picture

​These energy efficient pumps will often have a built-in multi or variable speed drive. This means that the pump can be set to a lower speed and consume less energy, at the same time taking pressure off the plumbing and reducing maintenance costs. These pumps are usually quieter as well, which means they can be run overnight, and make use of the cheaper off-peak rates.
 
Right Place, Right Time
Strata pools generally have higher usage traffic, so this needs to be taken into account when putting a pump on a timer. But it's been found that in many buildings the pumps are being run for longer than necessary to filter the entire body of water at least once. Make sure the timers are only running as long as actually needed, and run pumps or heating during off-peak times to avoid paying top price. For strata in Queensland, there are even more savings to be had by taking advantage of the super economy Tariff 33, which is a discounted rate that allows for electricity usage up to 18 hours/day outside of peak times (usually around 10pm-7am). As a bonus, Energex are offering a $200 incentive for Queensland properties to connect their pool to Tariff 33.
 
Praise the Sun
Pool heating is another area of significant energy usage. Where possible, install solar pool heating to heat a pool for free and extend the swimming season by a few more months. If this is not available, the next best options are: a heat pump, gas heating, or connecting an electric heating system to an Economy tariff. 
 
Cover Up
After all that energy has gone into filtering or heating water for the pool, the last thing you want is for it to all go to waste through evaporation. For outdoor pools, use a pool cover when the pool is not in use to reduce evaporation loss of water, which will save energy and reduce water costs as the pool won’t need to be topped up as often! A windbreak will have the same effect year-round.

For more information see Ausgrid's Swimming Pool Efficiency Guide

Morgan Warnock
Contributor, Strata Energy News
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Strata Energy News

    ​Receive our newsletter updates by email.

    Sign Up

    Categories

    All
    Air Conditioning
    Batteries
    Blockchain
    Car Park
    Community
    Developers
    Electric Vehicles
    Energy Assessments
    Energy Efficiency
    Energy Rates
    Energy Trading
    Environment
    Events
    Fire Escapes
    Foyers
    Funding
    Garbage
    Green Walls
    Heat Pumps
    Hot Water
    Lighting
    Management Systems
    Meter Boards
    Microgrids
    NABERS
    Power Factor
    Pumps
    Rainwater
    Research
    Sinking Funds
    Smart Cities
    Solar
    Solar Panels
    Strata Committee
    Swimming Pools
    Ventilation
    Water Efficiency


    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    July 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    July 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014


    RSS Feed

Services

Register
Solar
Batteries
EV-Charging
Hot Water
Lighting

Company

Background
The Team

Support

Contact
Solar Training
Webinars
Case Studies
News feed
Blog
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Solar
  • Batteries
  • EV-Charging
  • Hot Water
  • Lighting
  • Resources
    • Solar Training
    • EV Charging Training
    • Webinars
    • Case Studies
    • News Feed
    • Blog
    • Education Centre
    • Buying an Eco Apartment in Sydney
  • About Us
    • Background
    • Team
  • Enquiry