Pool Heating-heat pump and/or solar
 

We had a pool built last April. It has an electric heat pump. Grandkids were here 10 days in 12/2014 when the air temps were I. The 70's and approaching 80. It cost us $125 to heat the pool for parts of most of these 10 days. That equals $375/mo. The pool faces SE and gets lots of sun. For the past few days with the heater off, the pool temp. has been about 6 degrees higher than the air temp. We are thinking about adding solar but I would like your opinions, especially if you have both solar and a heat pump or just a heat pump.

1. If you heat your pool with only a heat pump in the winter, what is the average monthly cost?

2. If you use both a heat pump and solar in the winter, what is the cost?

We have been quoted a price of $4,000-$5,000 to add sollar. I am trying to figure out the break even point for this. Thanks for any help you can give me. We heat the pool to around 85o.

Bump

Solar is the better way to go but it voids your roof warranty!

If one has a choice a gas heater is the most efficient. If not then a heat pump.
With either one I suggest adding the solar as well.

An imperative element in the equation is also having a solar cover.

When the temperatures at night are consistently below 70 at night (let alone the run of 50s we are having), it is very difficult to keep the pool at 80 and above.

Our set up maintains 83+ easily from March through December 31. I keep the solar at 95 and the gas heater at 80.

For us it is just too cold outside to be comfortable so we let the pool go "cold" January and February. If we happen to have a series of bright sunny days I turn the solar back on.

Then we have periods on and off like we have recently where the threat of freezing requires (suggests) turning off the solar and isolating it during the sub 35 days/nights.

My guess is if we wanted to keep our pool at 80++ in January and February it would cost about $400 per month.

Because we have a very irregular shaped pool we do not use a solar cover during the winter months. We just don't like looking at a big sheet of plastic and it is too cold to be outside anyway (with no clothes on).

Thank you, "billethkid" for such a thorough and very helpful response.