Pools

After air conditioning, your pool can be the second largest energy hog in your home. The average pool can lose up to 7,000 gallons of water to evaporation annually. Follow these simple steps to reduce maintenance and utility costs:

• Use a pool cover. It reduces the amount of make-up water needed, the pool's chemical consumption and cleaning time by keeping dirt and other debris out of the pool.
• Check for leaks. Your pool should not lose more than ¼-inch of water a day.
• Upgrade your filter. A good filtering system is more effective at removing debris and requires the pump to run less.
• Install a smaller, higher efficiency pool pump. In a study of 120 pools by the Center for Energy Conservation at Florida Atlantic University, some pool owners saved as much as 75 percent of their original pumping bill when they used these energy conservation measures. (see table)