Pool & spa
Pool Heating Cost Calculator
Prices running a pool heater, where a cover changes the answer more than the heater does.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Heat demand is driven by surface area and the temperature rise held above ambient, since heat leaves a pool from its surface. Converting that to a running cost needs the fuel's energy content and the appliance's efficiency: gas is priced per therm and the heater delivers a stated share of it, while a heat pump moves several units of heat per unit of electricity and its performance falls as the air cools. That difference in how energy is supplied is why the two cannot be compared on fuel price alone.
What moves the number
- Surface area and the temperature rise held, which set the heat demand.
- Whether a cover is used, which is the dominant variable.
- Appliance type and efficiency, which converts heat demand to fuel.
- Wind exposure, which accelerates evaporative loss substantially.
Where this one goes wrong
Evaporation is the largest heat loss from a heated pool, and a cover largely stops it, which is why covering a pool typically saves a far larger share of heating cost than any equipment choice. An owner trying to reduce a heating bill should be pointed at a cover before a new heater. Wind matters for the same reason, so a windbreak around an exposed pool has a real effect. On comparing fuels, do it on cost per unit of delivered heat rather than per therm or kilowatt hour, since those carry very different energy and the appliances convert them very differently.
Before you quote
- Recommend a cover before any equipment change.
- Compare fuels on cost per unit of delivered heat.
- Account for wind exposure, which drives evaporation.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
What is the cheapest way to cut pool heating cost?
A cover, by a wide margin. Evaporation is the largest heat loss from a heated pool and a cover largely stops it, which saves a greater share of the bill than changing the heater. Reducing the temperature held and shortening the heated season are the next two levers.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than gas?
Usually per unit of heat, because it moves heat rather than making it and delivers several units for each unit of electricity. The comparison depends on local gas and electricity prices, and heat pump performance falls as the air cools, so the advantage narrows at the ends of the season.
Why does wind make heating so much more expensive?
Because it accelerates evaporation, which is where most of the heat goes. An exposed pool loses heat far faster than a sheltered one at the same temperature, which is why a windbreak or a cover has a disproportionate effect on the bill compared with anything done to the heater.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.2 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $48.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 1.2 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $95 |
| Parts and materials | $48 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $257 |
| Labour | $114 |
| Before tax | $257 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $257: $114 of labour, $48 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $48 | $200.60 |
| $71 | $228.20 |
| $95 example above | $257 |
| $143 | $314.60 |
| $190 | $371 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 1.2 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $48.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.