TIP – Buy A Device Timer For Your Pump: Depending on the materials used in the construction of your pool, you may be given different instructions on how long the pump needs to run. By putting it on a timer, you can customize the amount power it uses so that it uses no more than it needs. Also, you will be able to go out with confidence knowing that your pump will stop running when it whould whether you’ home or not.

TIP – Shop For A Variable-Speed Pump: In California these are required by law. Basically, these run just like a normal pump, but shift-down to a lower speed for cleaning and circulation purposes. Like most of the best energy-saving devices, these cost a little more than their conventional and inefficient ancestors, but you are guaranteed to make the difference up tenfold in a year’s worth of pool-heating costs.

TIP – Build A Passive Solar Water Heater: Instructions for these easy-to-make devices are part-and-parcel of the Power4Home Platinum Edition. Using the natural forces of convection, these non-photovoltaic solar collectors continually increase the temperature of a reservoir of any size. When combined with a good solar blanket, a passive solar water heater should be able to keep your pool at a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit all summer long… for free!