Pool running cost calculator

Add up the entered running costs for your pool. The result combines pump, heater and cleaner electricity with annual chemical spending and water top-up costs. It does not assume that every pool has the same equipment or use.

Collect the pump and cleaner input power and daily hours, metered heater electricity per day, operating months, annual chemical spending, annual water top-up and water price. Use the same pool and season for the daily electricity figures.

Check which equipment a meter reading covers. If a whole-pool reading already includes the pump, it cannot be entered as heater-only energy without counting the pump again. Use separate readings or a suitable assessed split.

Add pump, heater and cleaner electricity for the selected operating season, then add the entered annual chemical and water spending. Water cost = annual top-up litres ÷ 1000 × the price per kilolitre. Heater electricity must be metered input energy, not delivered heat. Heating demand and chemical dosing are not inferred from pool size.

Read the item breakdown to see what drives the total. Electricity is extended over the selected operating season. Chemical spending and water top-up are already annual amounts, so enter their yearly totals rather than a daily or monthly figure.

The annual total covers the items supplied in the form. It is not a complete cost of owning a pool. The calculation shows the entered amounts and prices so you can check a surprising total against your records.

For water, enter the volume added in a year and the price per kilolitre. One kilolitre is one thousand litres. A water bill total may also contain fixed charges, so do not use that total as the unit price. The chemical field takes money already spent or budgeted, rather than a quantity of chemicals.

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.

Use actual input power or measured energy. A maximum equipment rating does not show average use, and useful heat delivered by a heater is not the same as electricity bought to run it. No climate factor, heating demand or chemical dose is guessed from pool size.

The estimate repeats the entered daily electricity schedule over an average season based on your operating months. It does not predict weather, a changing heater load or different use on different days.

Enter zero explicitly for an item that does not apply. Check that chemical spending and water top-up cover the full year being compared. Do not include a cost twice in two fields.

The total excludes costs not requested by the form, such as buying equipment or repairs. A low running cost does not confirm that circulation, heating or water treatment is suitable. Money is rounded for display; totals use unrounded values.

Australian published electricity defaults cover the AER DMO zones and the Victorian Default Offer. They are actual flat usage prices including GST, not annual reference bills divided by consumption. Other states and TOU schedules require the prices on your bill.

Use your water price in dollars per kilolitre and top-up volume in litres. Check the bill units before entering them. Linked sources explain the method or price; they do not verify your pool measurements, spending or local conditions.

Ask a qualified pool professional to check the circulation schedule, heating assumptions and equipment before making changes. Bring the meter readings, bills and equipment details used in the estimate.

This tool does not give chemical dosing advice or confirm pool safety. Follow the equipment maker instructions and relevant local requirements. Use the appropriate qualified installer for electrical changes, and keep any written quotes separate from these running costs.