How to save energy and money running your swimming pool at French home

Running a swimming pool at your home in France is seldom seen as a budget option, but you may be able to save money and energy with a few significant tweaks.

The Fédération des professionnels de la piscine et du spa (FPP) estimates that it costs an average of €40 a month to maintain a 32 m² pool (iwater and energy costs), but you can reduce energy use and excess electricity and water bills by considering a few key areas.

Read also: Swimming pool still adds value to French property despite droughts 

Refill for evaporation only

Experts recommend that pool owners do not empty their pools regularly, except when absolutely necessary. Instead, maintaining its level to account for evaporation only can help you to save water.

On average, a pool takes 39m³ of water to fill (for the most popular 8 x 4m size), while compensating for annual evaporation takes just 7m³.

“You fill it up the first time and after that, you just compensate for evaporation,” said Joëlle Pulinx, general delegate at the FPP, to 20 Minutes.

Avoiding regular “big splashes and dives” can also help save water, said Ms Pulinx.

Read also: France drought rules: Do they stop me topping up my swimming pool? 

Put on a cover

When you are not using your pool, you can significantly save on evaporation (and the amount of water needed to make up for it) by putting a cover over it. 

There are several different types of summer covers available. These are easier to replace than the thicker, more ‘permanent’ winter covers, and make it possible for you to cover your pool without closing it completely.

Reduce heat

Consider if you really need to heat your pool, if it is equipped with a heater. If you live in a sunny area, with warm temperatures during the summer, you may not need to heat your pool (even if it is a little ‘refreshing’ when you first get in!).

Not heating your pool will reduce energy use. Consider not heating it unless it is usually in the shade and fails to reach a comfortable temperature - or if particularly vulnerable people will be using it.

You can also choose an energy-efficient heater, and make sure it is well-maintained to ensure optimum operation and energy efficiency. 

Choose the right cover if you do heat 

If you do heat your pool, make sure you get a cover that will not only reduce evaporation but also keep the heat in. 

“Covers will reduce evaporation but will not maintain the temperature of the pool,” said Thierry D'Auzers, president of Everblue Piscine, which manufactures heat-protecting pool covers in Corrèze (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). 

“Our thermal insulation coefficient is excellent…This can reduce the electricity consumption of your heat pump by 40-60%,” he said.

The FPP estimates that around half of private pools in France have heat pumps, while Mr D’Auzers said that he believes around a third have them - and they are, obviously, more popular in the northern regions of the country.

Read also: Above-ground swimming pools in France: rules, prices, installation 

Consider your filter and pumping system

Filter and pumping systems are more energy-efficient today than they were in previous decades, but you can still consider their energy use if you are looking to cut energy costs and usage.

“They are much better sized than they were in the 1990s, when the focus was on power,” said Mr Pulinx. “With a variable speed pump, you can even reduce fuel consumption by 40%. The tool will change the speed of its motor as required, according to a [pre-set] programme.”

More efficient filters may cost a lot more (as much as double in some cases, said Mr D’Auzers), but “good water filtration will avoid other additional costs” in the long-run, he said.