Pool cover savings calculator

Estimate what a pool cover could save on heating and water using your own assessed reductions. The calculator does not assume a standard saving for every pool. Use measurements from matched periods or an installer assessment for your pool and cover.

First choose how the heating energy is described. Useful heat is energy delivered to the pool; metered electricity is energy bought to run a heater. A heat pump and a gas heater need different performance inputs to convert useful heat into purchased energy.

Collect a lower and higher heat-saving estimate, annual evaporation top-up, assessed water reduction, prices, installed cover price and extra yearly maintenance. Keep all annual amounts on the same operating season.

First find baseline purchased heating energy: useful heat ÷ COP for a heat pump, useful heat ÷ efficiency fraction for a gas heater, or the entered metered electricity for resistance heating. Energy saved = baseline purchased energy × reduction fraction. Annual net saving = (energy saved × matching price per kWh) + (water saved in kilolitres × price per kilolitre) − extra annual maintenance. Simple payback (years) = cover price ÷ positive annual net saving.

COP (coefficient of performance) is useful heat delivered divided by electricity input. SCOP is this ratio over a season. A ratio of 4 means 4 kWh of heat per 1 kWh of electricity; use the ratio itself, without a percent conversion.

Use a percentage as a fraction once: for example, 50% means 50 ÷ 100 = 0.5. Use 0.5 in the energy formula; do not divide it by 100 again.

Energy prices are entered in pence or cents per kWh unless the field names another unit. Divide by 100 to obtain pounds or dollars. Fixed supply charges are excluded unless explicitly entered. Use tax-inclusive bill prices for personal scenarios.

The lower and higher results change the assessed heat reduction while keeping the other inputs the same. They are two entered scenarios, not a promised range. Check each net annual saving before reading its payback.

These illustrative inputs are separate from your saved answers. Prices, use and performance are held constant for this worked scenario; they are not personal defaults.

Enter reduction bounds from matched measured periods or an installer assessment. No generic evaporation-saving percentage is applied.

The metered path is for purchased heating electricity; gas heating must be converted using an assessed useful-heat/equivalent purchased-energy scenario.

This is an entered scenario, not an automatic property or weather forecast. Use assessed seasonal performance for annual heat demand; a laboratory COP at one test point may not represent the season.

Annual scenarios hold prices and usage constant. Simple payback excludes financing, replacement, degradation and future price changes. There is no finite payback when the annual saving is zero or negative.

Water top-up here is the evaporation amount being compared. Do not assume all water added to a pool is evaporation. The estimate does not measure a leak, set water-treatment needs or confirm that a cover suits the pool.

Use Australian prices in the units shown: cents per kWh for energy and dollars per kilolitre for water. Use tax-inclusive bill prices. If a gas price is in another unit, convert it to the requested unit before entering it.

Published electricity is a dated reference for the selected network and may differ from your tariff. Check the linked source and price period. Fixed supply charges are excluded; a lower heating total does not automatically remove a supply account.

Ask a qualified pool installer to check the cover choice, heating assessment and likely water reduction. Give them the operating season, temperatures and measurements used here.

Follow the cover maker instructions and applicable local pool safety requirements. A financial saving does not establish that a cover provides a safety barrier or is suitable for every use. Keep the written quote and assessment for your decision.