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Energy Efficient Pool Equipment Alternatives Last Updated: 11/21/2012 |
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One of the questions we have been getting asked recently is, "Are there greener alternatives for my existing pool equipment?" The answer is a resounding yes. The easiest way you can add green alternatives is the same way you can in your home, the lights. If you have a typical submerged pool light it has a fixture that is tied into the power supply in the light junction box. This fixture is called a wet niche light and uses the pool water to keep the light cool. The typical bulb in one of those fixtures is a large flood lamp. There lamps are far from efficient and are typically only capable of providing one shade of lighting in your pool at a time. The drop in replacement for the flood lamp is an LED replacement bulb available from several sources. These can be found in both white only and color changing bulbs. A more expensive way to upgrade to LED pool lighting is to replace the light fixture with one designed to house an LED light. Pentair makes this in both white only as well as color changing. If you have a fiberoptic pool lighting system, the light is housed in a box up above the pool surface. The light is carried out to the pool by a series of plastic cables and broadcast into the pool. Next Step Lighting (previously Nexxus) makes a series of drop in replacement LED lights in both white as well as multicolored. Assuming that you have enough 1.5 inch conduit of PVC pipe in the pool wall these units will replace the cables and a central control box would replace the fiberoptic light box.
Lights are truely one of the easiest ways to make your pool more efficient. The Pentair savings calculator is HERE. Aside from the lights, installing a Pentair Intelliflo, Jandy ePump, or Hayward TriStar variable speed pump to replace your standard pump would save on electricity. The Pentair Intelliflo and Jandy ePumps are Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled permanent magnet motors for long lifespans in the aggressive pool equipment room environment. By reducing the pump speed you are essentially extending the life of the motor by reducing wear as well as reducing your power bill. You can find an energy savings calculator for the Pentair pump HERE. The Jandy energy savings calculator is HERE. Another side benefit to reducing your pump speed is that you will hardly hear your pool equipment running.
If you are looking for the single largest energy user in the pool equipment you will easily find it to be your pool pump. Changing that pump out to one of the variable speed pumps will save you tremendously on your power bill. These are the two easiest ways to begin to make your swimming pool more energy efficient.
Tags:
energy efficient pool, pool green technology, pool LED, pentair intelliflo, jandy epump, permanent magnet pool motor
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