Let the sun shine on

  And while the father of the house might think he’s tough enough to do 6am laps in an unheated pool, you’ll find the kid’s interest in swimming is likely to plummet with every drop in temperature.
Heating adds great value for the pool owner, leading to more happy customers. Which in turn, can lead to more future happy customers. For the owner to get the most from their expenditure, the pool should be maintained at a comfortable temperature for the maximum number of hours each day and the maximum numbers of days each year.
Just what that maximum is depends on the type of heating chosen and the amount of energy the owners are willing and able to expend in heating the water. Most people like to swim in temperatures around 25°C to 26°C.
There are four basic ways to heat up the water in a swimming pool- solar, gas, electric element and heat pumps. As electric element is now waning in popularity — especially in the domestic swimming pool market– the three main types of heating are solar, heat pumps and gas — with the essential addition of a pool cover to maintain the heat.
Each has its own advantages. Solar has extremely low operational costs and is highly energy efficient. However, the degree by which it raises the temperature will vary dramatically, depending on how much sunshine the panels receive on any given day. For that reason, solar isn’t as successful in some locations where the hours of daylight are minimal or where the sun doesn’t shine on the available roof space.
Gas heaters are the quickest way to get a pool warm, providing a comfortable temperature for swimming virtually on demand, in any location or climate. However, they are more expensive to run than solar- the actual cost will depend on the local gas prices. Natural gas is a relatively environment friendly option but it is not available in all locations.
Heat pumps are situated between those two options – they are more energy efficient than gas but don’t heat up the pool as quickly.
Because heat pumps take heat from ambient air, they are relatively energy-efficient but not as energy-efficient as solar. Unlike gas, they are not suitable for all climates.
They are affected by relative humidity and can only operate with optimum efficiency in climates with ambient temperatures above approximately 10°C.
Let the Sun Shine On
Most often, the first form of heating homeowners consider is solar. I am inclined to say that the rapid take-up of solar pool heating has been one of the great success stories in the renewable energy industry.
Solar has achieved a market penetration that other manufacturers of renewable energy equipment can only dream of.
 And what makes it more special is that this has been achieved with very little government assistance.
Unlike other forms of solar, pool heating has always stood on its own feet. Its growth has been fuelled by the availability of cost effective and reliable systems. And its future is guaranteed by word of mouth and continuous product improvement. Apart from running on small circular pump, solar heaters do not generate any greenhouse emissions.