7 Ways to Make Your Pool More Eco-Friendly

Get a green pool, but in a good way

Swimming pools have a bad reputation for being bad for both the environment and your wallet, but there are a few simple things you can do to reduce the impact of your pool- on the environment, at least.

Here are 7 steps you can take at any stage of the pool owning process to make your backyard retreat more eco-friendly!

Cover Up

Of course, if you already have a traditional pool built in, going natural may be a bigger project than you want to commit to. No problem, here’s an easy one:

Put a cover on your pool!

Not only does this simple step reduce the amount of leaves and other debris that fall into the pool (and thus the amount of maintenance you have to do on a Saturday morning) but it also prevents a significant amount of evaporation, which can save you water and energy costs if you heat your pool.

Use the Sun

Speaking of heated pools, have you considered a solar pool heater? It’s a significant investment upfront but will pay for itself in short order with the reduced energy costs.

As solar projects go, solar pool heaters are actually one of the most cost-effective ways to harness the sun, and their initial costs are about on par with that of other pool heating systems.

If you don’t have a pool heater currently but are thinking of installing one, solar is a perfect choice.

Go Natural

If you’re still in the pool planning stages, but haven’t actually built one yet, consider opting for a natural pool instead of one that relies on chemicals and equipment to keep it clean.

Natural pools use aquatic plants as a biofilter to keep your pool clean, clear, and safe without the need for harsh and expensive chemical treatments.

Essentially, the pool consists of two separate but connected areas- the swimming area, and the filtering area, where low maintenance plants grow in a harmonious natural ecosystem that filters out contaminants and bacteria effortlessly.

These types of pools are extremely low maintenance, low impact, and low cost once they’re installed. The whole family can enjoy swimming without the water stinging their eyes, and you’ll never have to spend an evening adding a bit of this and that chemical into your pool to get the ph just right.

Look for Leaks

As a pool owner, you should be checking for leaks on a regular basis, but if you really want to make sure that your pool is running as efficiently as possible and avoid major repairs down the line, you’re really going to want to stay on top of any potential leaks.

A single small leak can lead to thousands of gallons of wasted water, not to mention compromising your pool’s overall structure. Not good!

Program Your Pool

It doesn’t make sense to let heaters and other pool systems run when no one is around to enjoy them. Take a note from the programmable thermostats that are changing the way we use energy inside our homes, and take it outdoors.

There are automated pool systems that will operate on your schedule so that everything is ready when you want it, but not using power when you don’t.

Choose Energy Efficient Lighting

Just like inside your home, the lighting options you choose for your outdoor areas can make a big difference in your overall energy use.

Nowadays, there are more pool lighting options than ever before. LED lights are a common choice for inside the pool itself, and there are plenty of solar-powered lighting options for illuminating the surrounding areas, pathways, or even floating on the surface of the water itself! MPOWERD has lots of great waterproof, inflatable solar lamps that would be perfect for just that.

Keep It Simple

A pool is certainly a luxury, and if you’ve been dreaming of having one for a long time, it can be tempting to go all out when you’re finally able to have one.

But, things like waterfalls, slides, hot tubs, and other features have their own costs- and I don’t mean just financially.

Features like those all contribute to faster evaporation in the pool and require energy to run or heat. Even a large pool without all those bells and whistles requires more water, more chemicals, and more energy.

So, if you must have a pool, keep it simple. The smaller and simpler it is, the less negative environmental impact it will have.