Diving in to swimming pool solar heaters

A solar pool heater does not save money — except when you compare it to

all the other options for heating your pool. Solar collectors load the filter

pump (make it run harder) so it costs more to run. Sometimes a lot more. If

you want a lot of heat, you have to run the filter pump for upward of eight

hours a day. This extra pump time is solar-system cost, and if you’re in a

tiered rate structure, it can add up to quite a bit. If you’re in a TOU struc-

ture, you also get dinged because you need to run your pump at peak times

(midafternoon, when it’s sunniest).

When you invest in a solar pool heater, you pay thousands to get higher

power bills. It’s not worth trying to do a payback analysis on a deal like

that. The only gain is comfort, and that’s hard to value. But people pay a

lot for solar pool heaters, and in some areas you see them on literally every

single home that has a pool. Ask an owner, and he or she will probably tell

you they’re great. Pools cost upward of $25,000. Another $3,000 to make it

much more enjoyable isn’t a bad investment. Your swimming season will be

extended — a solar heater may triple the amount of time swimmers actually

spend in the pool, as opposed to shivering around it.

The biggest plus with solar pool heaters is that other options are insane: a

big, gas heater that gobbles propane, or electric, with a 24/7 spinning power

meter. (You could light a big fire and boil water in a huge pot, but that’s labor

intensive.) A solar pool heater not only heats your pool much cheaper than

the other options, but the pollution effects are infinitely better. In terms of

payback, the only benefit of a solar poor heater is that it makes your original

investment in the pool look much better, and that counts for a lot, in some

people’s view.Considering the Best Overall Investments

You want the most return for your investment. Or maybe you’re looking for

the quickest payback for the least amount of effort and cost. These projects

are the winners in this category.

 ✓ Conservation: Perform an energy audit and perform all the energy con-

servation measures that your audit suggests. Energy conservation saves

money, reduces pollution, and helps make going solar much more

practical. See Chapter 3.

 ✓ Interior blinds and window coverings: These items yield the best pay-

back because they have so much influence on your environment. The pay-

back’s not strictly monetary, but who says it has to be? (See Chapter 9.)

 ✓ Solar screens: If your climate is hot and sunny, solar screens (Chapter 9)

are the easiest, biggest payback for the smallest investment. For a few dol-

lars a year, you can keep a lot of heat out of your house, save on energy

costs, and make a room more comfortable on sunny days. Of course, the

overall value depends on the installation; yours may be overly difficult

or impossible due to window configurations or accessibility. While large,

southern-exposed picture windows are the best candidates because they

have the greatest affect on solar radiation, they’re sometimes difficult to

completely cover without creating some ugliness in the process.

 ✓ Landscaping: Plant a tree or two. A few years later, you’ll understand

what a real payback is. Not only will you reap the benefit of a beautiful

yard, but the cooling effect can also be dramatic. I have a personal bias

here, I should admit; I favor beauty over financial return, and I encour-

age you to as well. After all, beauty is lasting, and it shares with every-

body equally. Flip to Chapter 8.

 ✓ Solar battery chargers: They’re easy to use and inexpensive, and when

you charge your own batteries instead of purchasing disposables, you

definitely save a lot of money. See Chapter 9.

 ✓ Solar attic fans: Solar attic fans (Chapter 9) are great for the experi-

enced do-it-yourselfer, especially if you live in a hot climate.

 ✓ Intertie systems: Intertie system economics depend a great deal on sub-

sidies and rebates and tax breaks, but when they’re advantageous, you

get a lot of value out of a single, overriding investment. You get guaran-

teed power rates (free) forever, and this locked-in rate may be very, very

important. But you also save a lot of carbon dioxide pollution, which

should be a factor in your decision (see Chapter 20).

 ✓ Hot water heaters: They can get a big return in tiered rate structures,

and they can get really big returns when you do your own installation.

Chapters 10 and 12 can fill you in