Gas is a very effective, but very expensive way to heat a pool. A 4 therm gas pool heater consumes as much gas as a furnace in January in upstate New York. (you can actually hear the gas whistling through the pipes when the heater is running)
An electric heat pump is effective but can also be expensive (less so than gas). People don't realize that electricity is THE MOST efficient energy source. 100% of the energy consumed is converted to heat. (No heat or gas going up the chimney)
Solar panels work well in the daytime when the sun is shining. Remember, they are Solar panels, not "lunar" panels. They don't heat at night. Gas and electricity do. The efficiency of solar heating is reduced in the winter months when the sun is in the southern sky. (the sun is tilted 47% further away than it is in June) Neither gas nor electricity reduce their efficiency in the winter, they simply rely on your ability to pay. Many people think (as I do) that solar panels are unsightly.
I use an electric heat pump. I had a gas heater and have discontinued its use. My electric heat pump heats my 30,000 gallon pool to my satisfaction. (88 degrees if I want).
Our first two years in The Villages, we heated year round. Our tolerance for the cost diminished into year three and we now close the pool from late December to March.
JLK
|