Having your own swimming pool brings many advantages, including visual enhancement to your backyard, a place to relax and enjoy in the comfort and privacy of your own home, as well as an increase in your property value.

However, proper maintenance of your swimming pool can be a big drain on your budget. Water, power, and chemicals can cost a lot. As an astute domestic pool owner, you need to look into all ways to reduce expenses while maximizing the benefits of owning a swimming pool. Solar pool covers can be one investment, bringing several benefits, including long-term savings.

Information on solar pool covers

Solar pool covers are often referred to as giant bubble wraps because they look like regular bubble wraps that protect fragile items. They are typically made of light and transparent plastic and float on the pool’s surface. The air-filled bubbles absorb the sun’s heat and radiate that heat into the water, heating it. Solar pool covers can warm your pool water by 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Also called solar blankets, solar pool covers also come in manually operated and automatic roll-up options.

Savings on water and energy

Swimming pools, if left uncovered, can experience tremendous amounts of evaporation. A regular-sized pool can lose up to 60,000 liters of water in a single year. Because of this, you need to replace your water, adding up to your household’s water consumption and water bill. Using solar pool covers can dramatically increase your pool’s evaporation rate and practically see how much you conserve water.

In addition to savings on water, solar pool covers can also bring significant savings in your energy bill. They use the sun’s heat to warm your pool and retain the heat for extended hours. Even during cloudy weather, solar pool covers absorb latent heat and still heat the water. 

Despite heating the water, solar pool covers do not cause evaporation. Some specially designed solar pool covers can absorb short-wavelength solar energy that is not allowed to get dissipated and increase your water’s temperature by almost 8 to 10 degrees!

Ease of installation and customization

Solar pool covers are available in several shapes and sizes and can be customized to fit your pool’s shape and size. All you have to do is match the dimensions of your solar cover with your swimming pool’s widest and longest points. Next, lay the solar cover onto the pool’s surface and trim the edges of it using a pair of scissors to match your swimming pool’s shape.

Benefits of solar pool covers

• Keep the water warm – The main function of solar pool covers is to keep the pool water warm. Solar pool covers heat your pool’s water, making its temperature comfortable and enjoyable to swim during the early morning, late afternoon, and evening. 
• Save water – Solar pool covers conserve water by reducing evaporation rates up to 95%. This reduces the need for make-up water, which adds up to your water consumption and water bill. They prevent evaporation, reduce your pool’s water level, and reduce the need for air-conditioning necessary to combat the humidity.
• Reduce chemical consumption – Covering your pool with a solar cover can minimize chemical loss due to evaporation, thus reducing your need to add chemicals needed to balance the water.
• Ease of use – Another benefit of solar pool covers is the ease of use. They are easy to set up, install, remove, and store.
• Can work in all pools – Solar pool covers can work in all types of swimming pools – inground, above-ground, outdoor, and indoor. They can also be customized to fit your pool’s size and shape.
• Are affordable – Solar pool covers are more affordable than the other pool cover types. So, if keeping your pool warm and savings on utility bills are your goals, you’re going to enjoy a quick return on investment from using solar pool covers.

With a host of benefits, no wonder solar pool covers are excellent options for saving water, chemicals, and energy!

Pool Covers, Inc. has been providing pool and spa covers, installation, and related services in Northern California for over 40 years. Call us at 707-864-6674 or message us at customerservice@poolcoversinc.com if you have questions or if you want to avail yourself of our products and services. We will be happy to help!