Quote:
Originally Posted by Toymeister
Now the exceptions, if you heat your pool then gas is better.
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This statement is not entirely true. The new heat pumps are more efficient than gas heaters and cost far less annually to run. See below link:
Heat Pump Swimming Pool Heaters | Department of Energy
I have experience as I have had 3 pools in my life, and have used gas and heat pumps. It really comes down to size of the pool, and geographic location. In MI, a heat pump couldn't be used on a 42,000 gallon pool. The ambient temperature was generally too low for a heat pump to work, and heat pumps only go up to 144K BTU's. I had a 400K gas heater, and it was barely able to keep up... and was very expensive.
In The Villages, most pools are fairly small (6K - 15K gallons), and ambient temperatures are perfect for heat pumps. I keep my pool at 88 degrees year round, and during January and February, it only adds $30-$40 to my electric bill. The rest of the year, it adds less than $20 to my bill ($0 for about 5 months).
There are numerous calculators online that compare gas to electric costs for heating a pool. You can input your local electric and gas rates, size of your pool, and it uses zip code for normal ambient temps.
When I use these calculators, it shows a heat pump have a savings of $800 per year over gas when keeping an 8,000 gallon pool at 88.