How to Create an Eco-Friendly Pool

If you’re worried about the future of the planet, then you’re probably looking for ways to make your swimming pool more environmentally friendly. After all, pools are one of the biggest energy guzzlers in your home, right behind air conditioners and hot water tanks. Luckily, you can do this without moving house or backfilling your pool. In this guide, we share eleven ways to create an eco-friendly pool. While some strategies are free and easy to implement, others require upgrades or set-up costs. Either way, you’ll be saving water, energy and the environment. Let’s dive in! 

11 ways to create an eco-friendly pool

1. Use a pool cover

The most effective way to reduce energy and water loss is by using a pool cover. According to the Swimming Pool and Spa Association (SPASA), uncovered pools evaporate up to twice their volume every year. If you’ve got a 60,000-litre pool, that’s more than 120,000 litres! By using a pool cover, you reduce evaporation by up to 97 per cent and avoid unnecessary top-ups or chemical use. 

Pool covers also stop chlorine from being oxidised by UV light. In fact, it only takes a couple of hours for unstabilised chlorine to dissipate in sunlight, leading to cloudy pool water and unsafe swimming conditions. Pool covers keep sanitation levels stable and minimise the use of stabilisers or shock. 

Pool covers are also a great way to trap the sun’s heat so you can limit the use of pool heaters in winter. In fact, if you use a solar cover, it can increase the water temperature by up to 8 degrees. They’re also handy for reducing heat loss overnight, particularly if you’re using a heater during the day. 

Lastly, covers can protect your pool from environmental debris. This is especially useful if you’re expecting strong winds or leaf falls. Not only does this reduce the need for an automatic cleaner, but it puts less pressure on your filter and keeps your water balanced for longer. 

Top Tip: If you’re using a pool cover for an extended period of time, lower the chlorine levels (or press low/spa mode or drop the output to a minimum on your chlorinator) to avoid damage and extend the life of your cover. 

2. Upgrade to a variable-speed pump

While single-speed pool pumps are easy to use and affordable, they use a lot of energy and account for 20–30 per cent of your annual energy bill. A variable-speed pump, on the other hand, can adjust the speed of your pump to meet your pool’s needs. For example, you can use low speed for filtering, medium for backwashing and high for cleaning. The ability to speed up or slow down, or synch with your salt chlorinator (if you’ve got one), can reduce your energy consumption by up to 90 per cent! To see how much you can save and that you can run your pump longer and actually use less power check out the calculator here (https://www.astralpool.com.au/support/pump-calculator)

When choosing a variable-speed pump, look for an energy star rating of 6. The higher the rating, the better the efficiency. If you’re worried about the price, many councils and states/territories offer financial incentives to help pool owners upgrade from single- to variable-speed pumps. To find out if you’re eligible, click here. 

3. Use a rainwater tank or diverter

Your pool can lose water due to evaporation, splashing, backwashing and vacuuming. By harnessing free rainwater and using it to top up your pool, you could save thousands of litres of water every year. There are different tank sizes to suit your property and budget, but if don’t have space or can’t afford a water tank, install a diverter on your downpipe to syphon water into your pool.

Before investing in a water tank, however, make sure your roof materials don’t contain contaminants or toxic materials. And if you do get a tank, keep a leaf guard on your gutters and install a first-flush system to remove impurities. 

4. Fix leaks

If your water level is dropping or there are puddles around your pool, you may have a leak. This means you could be losing hundreds of litres of water each year. Before you do anything, though, make sure it’s a leak and not evaporation. Fill a bucket with water and place it on one of the steps so that it’s level with the pool water. If the water outside the bucket goes down after 24–48 hours, it’s a leak. If the levels are the same, it’s normal evaporation.

If you’ve done the bucket test and identified a leak, check your equipment to make sure all fittings are intact and screwed tightly. Inspect gaps around light fittings (this is a common culprit for leaks) or check for cracks in your pool. To patch them, see our article on Finding and Fixing a Leak or contact a pool technician.

5. Switch to LED lights

If you’re still using halogen globes in your pool, it’s time to switch to LEDs. They last five times longer, which means you won’t have to change them as often. Plus, they use only 7–20 watts per hour, while halogens use 35–500 watts. LEDs are also brighter and provide more visibility in the pool, particularly at night. However, just because you’ve got energy-efficient bulbs, doesn’t mean you should keep them on all night. Use a timer to regulate usage or turn them off at night.

6. Use a robotic pool cleaner

Most pool owners run a suction or pressure-side cleaner for 4–6 hours, either daily or weekly. In addition to using bucket loads of energy, these cleaners are powered by the pool’s pump, which puts undue pressure on the filter system and reduces its effectiveness (and longevity). 

A robotic pool cleaner, on the other hand, works independently. It uses a low-voltage motor and doesn’t rely on the filtration system to operate, saving you up to 82 per on your energy bills. It even has a smart navigation system that cleans in half the time, and advanced brushes and filters that clean more thoroughly than traditional cleaners. This can reduce the work of your filter, minimise backwashing and eliminate the use of flocculants or clarifiers. 

7. Use pool automation or controllers

A pool automation system can reduce the amount of energy, water and chemicals you use. Even a chlorinator is a simple form of pool automation, instead of trying to remember when to turn your pump on or off, the built-in timers take care of it call for you, plus it can also adjust chlorine and pH levels to meet your pool’s needs, and some models synch with your variable speed pump for optimal filtration. This means your pool works more efficiently, minimising the need for chemical adjustments or cleaning.  A full automation system will have all your pool equipment accessible all the time and synchronized the way you want, and because they are fully remote, you can program them from anywhere, making pool maintenance easier.

8. Switch to a cartridge filter

Backwashing your media filter can waste up to 5,000 litres of water every year. Cartridge filters, on the other hand, only require a quick rinse before they’re ready to use again.  (For instructions on how to clean and maintain a cartridge filter, see this article.) What’s more, they have a pleated element that can filter 10–20 microns of particles, compared to 20–40 with sand. This results in clearer water, which means less cleaning and fewer chemical adjustments. 

9. Install solar heating

Solar heating uses panels to capture the sun’s heat and syphon it to your pool, making it one of the most energy-efficient methods to heat your pool. In fact, greenhouse gas emissions for solar heating are as little as 40 kilos per week, while for a heat pump it’s 290 kilos per week. 

Even though installation costs are high, they use as little as 1kW per hour, which is far less than running a heat pump or gas heater. However, not all homes are suited to solar heating, so check with a supplier to make sure your orientation, roof type and local climate are suited to this pool heating system. 

10. Consider a salt or mineral chlorination system

To minimise your eco-footprint, consider switching to a salt or mineral chlorination system. Instead of using liquid or granular chlorine (whose manufacture can increase mercury and carbon emissions), you use salt or minerals. When they’re added to your pool water, these minerals circulate through your chlorinator and transform into small doses of chlorine that keep your pool water sanitised.

The beauty of chlorinators is that they adjust output depending on your pool’s needs, minimising chemical waste. Some units like the eXO iQ pH Salt Chlorinator adjust your pH levels as well. This keeps your pool water healthy and minimises the maintenance requirements. 

If you convert to a mineral system like MagnaPool, you also benefit from magnesium, which clumps microparticles together and helps remove them from your pool. This keeps your pool cleaner and reduces the need for chemical flocculants or clarifiers. Plus, if you dilute the backwash of your MagnaPool will five parts water, it can be safely used to irrigate and fertilize your garden or lawn.

11. Consider a natural pool

If you’ve got a bigger budget, you may want to eliminate chlorine altogether and opt for a natural pool. This system requires two pools or zones: one for swimming and the other for aquatic plants (also known as the biozone or regeneration areas). To sanitise your pool, a small pump moves the water to the biozone. Here, biological processes filter out algae and bacteria before the water is returned to the swimming area.

To make a natural pools pool work, you need a generous budget (prices can start at $60,000) and a large backyard. However, if you’ve already got a pool, you can still convert it to a natural pool by building a biozone nearby. In general, the running costs of a natural pool are low because it uses a low-wattage pump (which consumes far less energy) and requires minimal cleaning or balancing. 

Summing up

Whether you’re building a new pool or you’ve already got one, making your pool more energy and water efficient – or eco-friendly – can be a challenge. But if you implement some new equipment, systems and habits, you can really make a difference. Here’s a quick summary of what you can do:

• Use a pool cover
• Upgrade to a variable-speed pump
• Use a water tank
• Fix leaks
• Use LED lights
• Consider solar heating
• Use a robotic cleaner
• Use pool automation or timers
• Consider a cartridge filter
• Consider a salt or mineral chlorination system
• Consider a natural pool

If you enjoyed this article, dive into our Pool & Spa Guides for more pool maintenance tips. Happy swimming!