Run your pool pump on solar

Compare running the same pool pump during available solar hours with running it at a night electricity price. The pump power and required runtime stay the same in both choices. The comparison changes when the energy is bought or used.

Collect measured pump watts, required daily hours, the available solar run window and spare solar energy during that window. Spare solar means energy left after other household loads. Total daily solar generation is not the same as spare solar available while the pump runs.

Enter the daytime import price, alternative night price and the payment you give up by not exporting solar. Add operating days for the annual comparison. The tool does not control a timer or change your tariff.

Daily pump demand = watts ÷ 1000 × required hours. Solar used is no greater than pump demand and entered available surplus. Solar-window cost = grid remainder × selected import price + solar used × export price. Compare the same pump runtime at the alternative night price.

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.

Solar use still has a cost in this comparison: the export payment given up. If solar does not cover the full pump demand, the remaining energy uses the selected import price. Read this split before the total saving.

A positive saving means the entered solar-hours scenario costs less than the night scenario. A negative saving means the night scenario costs less. Neither result tells you whether a different circulation schedule is suitable for the pool.

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.

The available window must fit the required pump runtime. Surplus solar is after other household loads and must coincide with pump use.

No solar yield is inferred from array capacity. Choose circulation hours that meet your pool hygiene and equipment requirements.

The estimate repeats one entered day over your operating days. Clouds, seasons and household use can change spare solar. The annual result is therefore a constant-scenario comparison, not a forecast of solar output. Compare a second set of measured conditions if one day does not describe the season you have in mind.

Use actual running power for the chosen pump setting. Keep hours and daily energy on the same schedule. The tool does not model a battery, choose a safe pump schedule or price buying new equipment.

Fixed supply charges are excluded. Money is rounded only for display. Invalid or incomplete edits keep the last valid result visible with a warning, so check that warning before relying on a total.

This Australian comparison uses cents per kWh for import and export prices. Use the tax-inclusive prices for the actual daytime and night windows in your contract. A general reference price may not match either window.

Published electricity uses the dated selected network record. Check its period and use your own bill where needed. The export price is the payment for energy sent to the grid, not the price paid for electricity bought from it.

Ask a qualified pool professional to confirm required circulation hours and whether the solar window can provide them. Show the pump measurements, solar records and proposed schedule.

Ask an appropriate qualified installer about timer or wiring changes. Follow the maker instructions and local safety requirements. The cost comparison does not certify equipment, guarantee solar supply or establish water-treatment needs.