Today, we are talking about energy consumption and how it is calculated regarding pool pumps. When a traditional single speed pool or spa pump is operating, it runs at 3450 rpm; this cannot be changed on single speed pumps. Usually these pumps are controlled by an external timer or a “light timer.” The pump motor on the right is a single speed motor. It is a 1.5 horsepower motor and runs at 3450 rpm. At 220V its maximum amp rating is 9.3. If we were to assume this pump runs 12 hours per day and we were to do a calculation to determine how much energy it consumes at the electric rate in Wilmington, NC we would come up with a number around $84.70 per month. That is about $1016 per year in energy. Now, lets do the same type of calculation with a variable speed pump. When we have a variable speed pump, we can control how fast or slow the motor is running and drastically reduce the energy consumption. When we’ve installed these pumps on our residential pools, the energy use is displayed on the motor controls. We typically see that our customer’s energy use from the pool pump is reduced by 70-90% depending on the application. If we assume our example here is reduced by 80%, our customer will see energy bills under $17 per month, or just over $200 for the year; this translates to a savings of about $800 per year in energy.

These pumps are super energy efficient and can be controlled either on the pump or with a control system. When coupled with actuator valves, LED lighting and a salt system, you have an extremely efficient pool or spa that will be the envy of the neighborhood while saving you a bundle of money. If you have any questions about variable speed pumps and how much you could save if you made the switch, give us a call or send us an email for a free estimate at your commercial or residential pool! Thanks for reading!