Pooled resources
Does pool and spa owning have to consume a lot of
energy? Hal Norman
investigates.
Owning a swimming pool or spa gives us an opportunity to relax in some luxury in the privacy of our own homes. For many of us, chilling out in some warm water is the ideal way to forget the stresses of the working week and problems at home. However, global warming and climate change have made water and fossil fuels increasingly valuable resources so is it possible to soak in the pool without a nagging doubt at the back of your mind that your ostensibly harmless pleasure is somehow contributing to the destruction of the planet?
The answer, according to Brian Andrews, Managing Director of Heritage Pools Ltd, can be yes. He explains: “You can make many green choices in the design of an ordinary swimming pool or spa that can help reduce the resulting carbon footprint from the pool.” Most pools are heated by oil or gas but this can be supplemented by solar power.
There are a number of companies offering a
solarpowered solution to the problem of heating
the pool. For outdoor pools Powertech Solar Ltd
sell OKU solar panels which absorb solar energy
through a large surface area made of black high
molecular polyethylene. Water passing through the
panel is heated and pumped back into the pool.
So, how many panels will you need? Technical
Manager Andy Clark explains: “The number of
OKU panels you need depends on the square
metreage of the pool. Fifty per cent of the pool
square area is used to calculate the quantity of
panel absorber area needed. For example a 10 x 5m
pool requires twenty-four OKU panels.” The
panels can be easily mounted on a roof, a fence
or even on the lawn.
When linked to an existing pool pump the reduction in water pressure is minimal. There are also few worries about maintenance as the panels are resistant to swimming pool water and temperature-resistant from -50ƒC to 115ƒC.
The company also offers the more expensive option of solar vacuum tube collectors which are suitable for heating both indoor and outdoor pools via a heat exchanger. Another attraction of this option is that it can be incorporated into
the domestic heating system, thus defraying the total cost.
Another company working in this area is Riomay, who reckon on supplying six 3 x 1 m solar panels for a 10 x 5 m pool holding 75 m3 of water. This should supply 10800 kW of heat annually, enabling the pool to be used for about eight months in
every year. At a relatively small extra cost the solar panels can be rigged up to supply hot water to the house, although the tank will probably have to be replaced by a solar thermal dual heat exchanger tank. The system will automatically switch to conventional power if there is not enough solar power. Riomay also offer to make your solar panels an attractive garden feature by hiding them within the confines of a pergola.
While changes can be made to an existing pool, if you are having a new pool constructed there are a number of things you can do. A darker tile will draw more heat into the pool and a transparent cover will allow sunlight to heat the pool when not in use. A thermal bubble cover will raise a pool’s temperature a few degrees. Installing insulation in the pool walls and floor will also conserve heat and reduce bills. Another option is to install ground source heat pumps, where a 60 m hole is bored into the ground to tap into the natural thermal currents that exist at that depth. For hot tubs a company called Eco Spas recovers the heat lost from the spa pump to heat the tub. Unlike many hot tubs which are made of a single acrylic shell mounted in a wooden or metal cabinet, the Eco Spas are moulded in onepiece constructions. The shell of the tub is fully insulated with foam to reduce the heat loss and also to reduce the amount of electricity required.
Owning a swimming pool or spa gives us an opportunity to relax in some luxury in the privacy of our own homes. For many of us, chilling out in some warm water is the ideal way to forget the stresses of the working week and problems at home. However, global warming and climate change have made water and fossil fuels increasingly valuable resources so is it possible to soak in the pool without a nagging doubt at the back of your mind that your ostensibly harmless pleasure is somehow contributing to the destruction of the planet?
The answer, according to Brian Andrews, Managing Director of Heritage Pools Ltd, can be yes. He explains: “You can make many green choices in the design of an ordinary swimming pool or spa that can help reduce the resulting carbon footprint from the pool.” Most pools are heated by oil or gas but this can be supplemented by solar power.
When linked to an existing pool pump the reduction in water pressure is minimal. There are also few worries about maintenance as the panels are resistant to swimming pool water and temperature-resistant from -50ƒC to 115ƒC.
The company also offers the more expensive option of solar vacuum tube collectors which are suitable for heating both indoor and outdoor pools via a heat exchanger. Another attraction of this option is that it can be incorporated into
the domestic heating system, thus defraying the total cost.
Another company working in this area is Riomay, who reckon on supplying six 3 x 1 m solar panels for a 10 x 5 m pool holding 75 m3 of water. This should supply 10800 kW of heat annually, enabling the pool to be used for about eight months in
every year. At a relatively small extra cost the solar panels can be rigged up to supply hot water to the house, although the tank will probably have to be replaced by a solar thermal dual heat exchanger tank. The system will automatically switch to conventional power if there is not enough solar power. Riomay also offer to make your solar panels an attractive garden feature by hiding them within the confines of a pergola.
While changes can be made to an existing pool, if you are having a new pool constructed there are a number of things you can do. A darker tile will draw more heat into the pool and a transparent cover will allow sunlight to heat the pool when not in use. A thermal bubble cover will raise a pool’s temperature a few degrees. Installing insulation in the pool walls and floor will also conserve heat and reduce bills. Another option is to install ground source heat pumps, where a 60 m hole is bored into the ground to tap into the natural thermal currents that exist at that depth. For hot tubs a company called Eco Spas recovers the heat lost from the spa pump to heat the tub. Unlike many hot tubs which are made of a single acrylic shell mounted in a wooden or metal cabinet, the Eco Spas are moulded in onepiece constructions. The shell of the tub is fully insulated with foam to reduce the heat loss and also to reduce the amount of electricity required.
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