Spas, Hot Tubs and Pool Energy Saving Tips

Facts about Spas & Hot Tubs:

Heating and filtering costs for spas and hot tubs are very similar. And ways to save money on their operating costs are similar too. There are three major factors that affect operating costs: Weather Spa size How you use it Here are some tips to help you save both money and energy. And when you use less energy you!ll be helping the environment by conserving natural resources. Weather: The wind air temperature and the amount of sunlight that stri"es the surface of the water can affect the cost of using your spa. Wind affects evaporation and heat loss. The more wind the more it costs to heat your spa. #f the air temperature is low it will cost more to heat your spa than on warmer days. Spas will cost less to heat when sunlight stri"es the water surface. Size of the spa: Spa heating costs also depend on the number of gallons the spa contains. The more gallons in the spa the more it will cost to heat initially. The major continuing heat losses occur from surface losses to the atmosphere. Ho you use it: The most important factor contributing to spa heating costs is the difference between the beginning water temperature and the final temperature. The larger the difference the higher the operating costs. !onservation suggestions: Here are some suggestions to help you save energy and money on spa heating. Heat the spa only when you plan to use it allowing time for warm$up. Heat your spa to %&'() or lower to save money without sacrificing comfort. *over the spa when not using it and when warming it. *hec" the accuracy of your spa!s thermostat. An accurate thermostat can save you hundreds of dollars each year. Filtering: )ilter enough to maintain water clarity which means filtering for about one$half to one hour of filtering each day for the average spa. #f you have a pool maintenance service be sure to chec" with them before reducing the hours of filtration. Have your filter pump
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operation chec"ed yearly by a 3ualified pool maintenance company. A malfunctioning filter pump costs more to operate. When it!s not needed switch off your aerator. Solar heating: *onsider installing a solar heating system to heat your spa. Spas re3uire solar panels with at least two times the surface area of the spa. Ta"e into consideration of several factors before deciding on a solar heating system for your spa. The initial cost of a solar heating system. A bac"$up heating system of either gas or electricity is re3uired. To be effective a solar heated spa should be covered when not being used. Solar heating systems wor" only during daylight hours and will not heat the spa at night.

Facts about S i""ing Pools:

Swimming pools are great for rela4ing e4ercising or just having fun. 5ut they also mean higher than average energy bills. The "ey to saving energy with your pool is to correctly manage the filter pump time pool temperature and lighting. 5y following some simple steps you can ma"e your swimming pool more energy efficient and more fun. #sing your filter pu"p: 6ools need to be filtered. How long you should filter your pool depends on: The size of the pool. The filtering e3uipment. How much you use the pool. 7ifferent environmental factors 8such as how much sunlight hits the pool9. As a general rule one complete turnover of water every '2 hours provides ade3uate filtering for a single$family pool. The more you use your pool the more filtering it will need. #t is generally recommended that you run your filter for four to si4 hours a day during the summer and two to four hours a day during the winter. #f you!re filtering more than this try reducing your daily filtering time by 1& minutes. After a wee" if the water clarity and chemical balance show ade3uate filtration is ta"ing place try reducing your filtering time by another 1& minutes. *ontinue this process until water clarity or chemical imbalance indicates more filtering is needed. #n addition to chemical testing a good way to chec" your water clarity is that the main drain cover should be clearly visible from the dec". $uto"atic pool s eeps %booster pu"p style&: :sually three to four hours of daily operation during summer and two to three hours daily in the winter are sufficient. Start the pool sweep one hour or more after the pool pump has started and stop the sweep one hour or more before the pool pump turns off. ;n

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unusually dusty days increase cleaning time in half$hour increments until the pool is clean. :se a wall brush and leaf s"immer fre3uently to help the sweep along. Filter during off'pea( ti"es: <ou can help everyone by filtering your pool during off$pea" hours. Avoid operating your pool filter between the hours of noon and 0 p.m. This will help reduce the demand for electricity conserve natural resources and save money. ;f course if your pool has solar heating you!ll need to filter when the sun is correctly positioned for your solar panels. However we recommend that you minimize filtration during the pea" period of noon to 0 p.m. as much as possible. Setting filtering ti"e: A filter time cloc" is an easy way to manage pool filtering. =ust be sure to chec" it once a month to ma"e sure the trippers are secure. *hec" your cloc"!s instruction manual for directions on setting the operation times. >emember to reset the time cloc" after power outages and for the fall and spring time change. Preventive "aintenance: )ollow a regular program of preventive maintenance including an annual inspection and deliming of the heat e4changer to help maintain heating efficiency. )otor and pu"p asse"bly: When its time to replace your old motor and pump assembly consider a new energy efficient model with a closed impeller and reduced horsepower. #t moves more water more efficiently and may help you reduce your filter operating time by an hour or more. Also consider purchasing a two speed motor with an automatic controller. The high speed is used only when needed for tas"s li"e pool vacuuming operating the automatic pool sweep and pump operation for the pool?spa combination. ;nce the heavy wor" is done the controller automatically "ic"s down to low speed for your pool@s daily filtration cycle which may result in energy and money savings for you. Energy*uide label: #f you!re in the mar"et for a new pool heater the ,nergyAuide label can be a very valuable resource in helping you select the most energy$efficient model. >emember the more efficient the model the less it will cost to operate. Water te"perature: The American >ed *ross recommends that the most healthful swimming pool temperature is B/()C/'(). 5e sure to use an accurate pool thermometer since a variance of just four degrees above B/() could use as much as 2&D more energy. Shelter the pool where possible from prevailing winds by using well trimmed hedges or other landscaping cabanas or fencing as windbrea"s. Solar heating:

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Swimming pool heating is a popular application of solar energy. #f your pool is in direct sunlight the sun helps to raise and maintain the water temperature free of charge. Special solar heating pool systems can be installed in your pool to heat water pumped through solar panels. #n many cases you can add a solar system to your e4isting filter pump and plumbing. 5uying and installing a solar$heating system can be a significant investment so be sure to shop around and get the best combination of price performance and warranty. Pool covers: <ou can save up to E&D on heating costs by simply using a pool cover. 5esides helping to minimize nighttime heat loss pool covers also help prevent chemical loss and water evaporation. These are two types of pool covers: Thermal?opa3ue covers help prevent heat and water loss. #f left on during the day they also transmit some heat to the pool. Solar covers help transmit heat to your pool from sunlight. They also help prevent heat and water loss. When shopping for a pool cover be sure to chec" the durability warranty insulation value and safety features of the cover as well as price. #f you have small children be sure to choose a cover that will prevent them from being trapped underneath it. +ecorative lighting: -ighting your pool can help ma"e it more attractive and increase safety around the pool at night. To reduce lighting costs around your pool you might consider: *ompact fluorescent lights use %F2 the amount of energy of comparable incandescent lights. Gotion sensors turn the lights on only when motion is detected. Timers to program when the lights turn on and off automatically. $bout ,e Energy Services: +ew ,nergy Services --* is an ,nergy Services *ompany whose mission is to save its clients money on its utility bills and do so with 3uality service fle4ibility transparency fre3uent communications integrity and client focus. The team at +ew ,nergy Services has been in the energy business since '&&B. Satisfied clients of +ew ,nergy Services include 5a"eries -aundromats 6izza Shops Hotels >estaurants >etail Stores ;ffice 5uildings Gulti$family >esidences and Warehouse )acilities. *urrently +ew ,nergy Services is open for customers of the following utilities in +ew <or": *on ,dison +ational Arid and 6S,HA in +ew =ersey. For )ore -nfor"ation:

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)or more information about your choices in purchasing natural gas go to the +ew ,nergy Service!s website www.newenergyservicesllc.com contact us at %$/&&$00&$1021 or info@newenergyservicesllc.com.

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