Whether you’re interested in saving money on your energy bills or passionate about the idea of making your home as “green” as possible, you’ll be glad to hear there are several inexpensive and easy things you can do to curb your pool’s energy consumption.

As more and more consumers have expressed interest in lowering the energy required for maintaining their home swimming pools, manufacturers of swimming pool equipment have started to produce a variety of greener and low-energy consumption products, including LED pool lighting, lower emission heaters, and pumps with variable speeds. Unfortunately, in order to take advantage of these new products you would be required to replace your older equipment which may still in good shape.

It’s possible to continue to use your existing equipment and still make headway on pool energy consumption. Through the inclusion of some energy-efficient additions, your existing equipment can get you significantly closer to your energy-savings goals.

Pool Pumps

Performing a pool energy audit is not a bad idea, as this will give you a realistic image of the impact your pool has on your monthly energy costs. More than likely, such an audit is going to show that your swimming pool pump is larger than it needs to be. Most of the time, the pump is about 25 percent larger than necessary, meaning that you can adjust the energy consumed by your pool by simply adjusting the number of hours your pump runs and the time of day at which it will run.

A very important factor to consider when reducing the number of hours your pool pump will run in to first determine what the minimum hours per day your pool pump needs to operate and still be sufficient. A typical residential pool should turn over its own volume of water once each day. For example, if you have a 1.5-horsepower pump that will flow 60 gallons per minute, in a typical one day 8 hour cycle, your pump will have turned over 28,800 gallons of water in one 8 hour cycle. The average size of many residential pools is 20,000 gallons. Also consider running your pool pump during off peak hours as many utility companies offer a less expensive rate of electricity usage during these hours. If, for instance, you find that after you reduce the number of hours your pump is running and that is a direct result of more algae growth, tack on one additional hour at a time to see how your pool will respond. Every pool is unique due to size, shape, pool equipment, landscape, geographical location and various climates throughout the country. Nothing matches the savings from a new variable speed pump, but in this tough economy the small adjustments to the existing pump will add up over time.

To quickly calculate the number of gallons within your swimming pool simply follow this formula; length x width x average depth x 7.48 (number of gallons in one cubic foot) = average total gallons in your pool. These few calculations will amount to long-term savings you’ll see on energy bills are well worth it.

Pool Lighting

A rheostat, or dimmer switch, can be used with your pool lights, allowing you to cut down on your pool lighting expense without requiring the purchase of new lighting system. While the incandescent bulbs currently in your swimming pool will eventually need to be replaced with LED lighting or a similarly more efficient lighting system, you can put off that expense until later down the road.

Though there will be costs incurred with the installation of a dimmer switch, paying a professional electrician for this job will still be less expensive than purchasing new pool lighting. It will also allow you to immediately begin saving funds on your monthly energy bills.

Pool Covers

There are a variety of newer ways by which to make your swimming pool more energy efficient, but you should not underestimate the importance of using a pool cover. While the pool cover serves numerous purposes, the least of which is keeping your pool free of debris, it can significantly reduce your energy expenses as well.

Water which evaporates from your pool is by far the most expensive of your energy costs associated with your pool. Not only must you pay for replacing the water itself, but you must also reheat new water. Maintaining a consistent water temperature is far less expensive than raising the temperature of new water to comfort level.

Outdoor evaporation varies depending on weather conditions and there are certainly landscaping changes you can make which will lessen the amount of evaporation your experience. Adding a good pool cover goes a long way toward reducing evaporation-related expenses for your outdoor pool.

While indoor pools are not affected in the same manner by environmental conditions, they still lose a substantial amount of energy to evaporation. Evaporated water inside requires air conditioning and dehumidification systems to work overtime, wasting energy and raising your energy bills, if you do not use a good pool cover.

Using a pool cover with your indoor pool reduces the amount of evaporation. It also allows you to save funds on air conditioning. You can also turn off your exhaust fans while the cover is on, as there is no need to remove the excessive humidity produced by the swimming pool.

By partnering with top leaders within the swimming pool industry, Reliable Pool Solutions, Inc. is designed to bring together the strongest team of swimming pool professionals who are leading the business today. We enable our customers access to the highest quality of swimming pool equipment at the best prices available, without sacrificing service. For more information about pool pumps, filters, heaters and cleaners, visit us online!

Setting the stage for your contractor to begin operate on your new addition to your Virginia home is a excellent way to begin the project. Should you live in a subdivision, there may not be a whole lot of room to move around, so a great clear yard is really a necessity.

Prepping the area for that contractor requires some effort on your part, particularly if your yard isn’t really large. Squaring things away on the home front will ensure a much faster completion from the project.

For starters, clean up the yard space around your home! Any individual items left out can produce issues with safety, can produce a distraction for workers, and could potentially lead to equipment damage if a worker were to trip and drop tools or supplies.

Whilst you are cleaning up your yard of the individual belongings, take the time to cut your lawn down and check the grass and operate region for holes or soft spots within the ground. It’s basic for a worker carrying tools or other supplies to misstep or get hung up on a divot in your yard.

The last thing you want is an injured worker on your property – so take the required steps to prevent it. Whilst functioning on the landscaping, go via the area correct against the foundation from the home, particularly in the region for the new addition, and clean out any plants or flowerbeds that exist.

The removal of all bed liners, rocks, bushes, saplings and so on from the workplace will save you big cash when the contractors arrive. The unwise that select to neglect their landscapes often pay via the nose for the contractor’s crew to remove them all. Even worse, it takes precious time that could be spent working on your beautiful addition.

Your general contractor should also be responsible for the cleanup, but you might have to discuss the terms with him. Most municipal waste services won’t remove construction debris, and your neighbors may complain about large piles in your yard. Ensuring that your contractor can handle the disposal of all waste will save you a big headache.

You are able to provide the best work environment feasible for your contractor and crew with a little elbow grease. The addition to your Virginia home is going to be up in no time, and you will feel proud knowing that your difficult work paid off in time and cash.

If you are thinking about Home Additions Virginia based Paragon Remodeling can help. With many years experience as a top innovative specialist, Northern Virginia Deck experts Paragon are also offering restricted time discounts of up to $1000 for the next 10 clients who request a totally free no obligation estimate from our website.

Owning a property in Virginia comes with the responsibility to do a little home improvement regularly. You will find numerous advantages, including the feel of living in a brand new home even though it’s already home. It’s also nice to have people over right after a new remodel, to show off your style.

Plus, there’s the added value to the property itself. A correctly executed and created home improvement will literally pay for itself in resale value. It is also more attractive to a buyer if your home looks newer than the other homes they see. Nevertheless, where do you begin? Any remodel is really a unique risk, but you are able to start little and work your way up.

A modern kitchen can sell your home. Stainless steel appliances, shiny granite counter tops, and lots of cabinet space are all improvements which are great for a kitchen. It’s surprising how much higher the offers you’ll fetch.

Any real estate agent will tell you that the primary bathroom will make or break a home. If it’s too small, has poor storage areas, or poorly maintained plumbing fixtures, you won’t sell your home. It’s also essential to inspect all of one’s mirrors for small flaws and replace them as necessary.

You never want to be the shabbiest house on the block. Whenever you neighbors begin to look at you funny simply because your home looks like Casper’s, it is time to do a little exterior home enhancement. New windows and gutters could save you money in the long run.

A dank and gloomy basement turns off many individuals who are utilized to living within the most civilized locations. Finishing a basement isn’t even that expensive when compared to some of the other major renovations. The basement is also one of the most versatile locations to improve.

Remodeling your master suite is really a excellent option. If you have the cash and also the space, most people would recommend adding a bathroom with an more than sized tub and massage jets. A less expensive course might be to simply produce much more closet space or organize what you currently have with built in shelves and cubbies.

Whether the sky is the limit or you are just doing just a little work, a home enhancement in Virginia can literally pay for itself. The feeling you get after completing the function is well worth the effort you need to place in. Additionally, the added equity or higher listing prices are just a nice bonus.

If you are thinking about Kitchen Remodeling Virginia based Paragon Remodeling can assist. With many years experience as a major innovative contractor on the East Coast, Virginia Home Improvement experts Paragon are also offering limited time rebates of up to $1000 for the next 10 customers who request a free no obligation estimate from our website.