Photovoltaics and pool heating: reducing energy bills

A swimming pool is a real asset to the comfort and value of a home, but it can quickly become a major energy expense. Among the equipment that consumes electricity is the swimming pool heat pump, which is essential for extending the swimming season. Against a backdrop of rising energy prices, many private customers are turning to a sustainable solution: self-consumption of photovoltaic energy. But how much does solar energy really add to the overall cost of a swimming pool, and what impact does it have on water heating in particular?

Electricity consumption in a swimming pool

Before talking about solar energy, it’s important to identify what consumes electricity in a swimming pool:

  • Filtration pump: runs for several hours a day.
  • Heat pump: especially at the beginning and end of the season.
  • Lighting, cleaning robot, automatic treatment: secondary but constant consumption.

A heat pump, even an efficient one, is still an electric heating system whose consumption can range from 1 to 3 kWh per hour, depending on its power and the weather conditions.

Photovoltaics: a solution tailored to your pool’s needs

Installing photovoltaic panels means you can produce your own electricity and use it to power your pool equipment. The benefits are twofold:

  • Reduce dependence on the grid: solar-generated electricity is used first and foremost to power equipment that is in use.
  • Lower energy bills: self-consumption reduces the kWh billed by the electricity supplier.

Solar energy is perfectly suited to swimming pools because :

  • The periods of solar production (daytime, summer, shoulder seasons) coincide with demand.
  • Consumption is predictable and can be synchronised with production.

The direct impact on pool heating

Heating via a heat pump is the ideal use to combine with photovoltaic production. Up to 100% of the heat pump’s electricity needs can be covered by the photovoltaic system. What’s more, the heat pump can be controlled: heating cycles can be programmed during the day, at the peak of solar production. It’s a system that’s compatible with self-consumption, without the need for a battery, provided it’s properly sized.

Polytropic’s PolySolar Energy System solution

To take the integration of pool heating and solar energy a step further, Polytropic offers a particularly innovative all-in-one solution: the PolySolar Energy System, which comes in three packages for a made-to-measure installation:

PolySolar Lite

PolySolar Lite is a complete, ready-to-use ‘plug & play’ photovoltaic kit. Available in 1 or 2 photovoltaic panel versions, for production of up to 0.9 kWp (kiloWatt-peak), with a well exposed ground or wall frame and plugged into a standard electrical socket for simplified installation.

 

PolySolar Energy

It’s an intelligent system that combines a kit of photovoltaic panels adapted to the pool environment, a Polysolar electrical or intelligent protection box and a fixing system. Automatic control in SOLAR mode synchronises solar production with the operation of the heat pump.

 

PolySolar Split

The PolySolar intelligent box can be adapted to an existing photovoltaic installation.

Discover the brochure here

 

The key benefits of the PolySolar Energy System solution:

  • Zero energy wastage: the electricity produced is used first and foremost by the heat pump.
  • Optimised efficiency: the heat pump heats when energy is available, at no extra cost.
  • Simplified installation: a turnkey solution designed for residential pools.

The PolySolar Energy System transforms the pool into an intelligent energy ecosystem, self-sufficient for most of the year.

Tangible savings and environmental action

By combining a heat pump and photovoltaics, you can :

  • Cover up to 100% of your pool’s electricity consumption, including heating.
  • Reduce your carbon footprint by using local, clean, silent energy.
  • Pay off your solar investment more quickly, thanks to well-targeted self-consumption.

 

Conclusion

Photovoltaic production applied to the world of swimming pools, and in particular to heat pump heating, now represents a coherent, economical and ecological solution. Thanks to intelligent systems like Polytropic’s PolySolar Energy System, you can switch to a partially or fully energy self-sufficient pool, with a measurable return on investment from the very first seasons.