By Luciano Tortorella
Those in the industry are well aware of the surge in demand for new pools in light of the current environment.
However, it is important to remember there are also many existing pools in the market being used more than ever.
As children continue to be at home with distance schooling, families are looking to use their pools well into the fall and winter (depending on geography), and to do that, they are going to need to keep the water warm. In many cases, those existing pools have older heaters that are operating inefficiently and clients are paying, or about to pay, exorbitant bills to fix the problem.
To best serve clients, now is the time to bring up the subject of adding or upgrading their equipment. Adding a heater not only allows customers to extend their swimming season but also allows those in colder climates to open their pool earlier in the spring.
Adding and upgrading heaters provides pool professionals with an added stream of revenue as summer sales start to slow. Upgrading an old pool heater with a new, energy-efficient model will make homebound clients happy because it helps them maximize the enjoyment of their pool while lowering monthly utility bills.
However, before embarking on a heater sales program, retailers should explain to their clients how a heater works and why it becomes less efficient over time—especially when suggesting an upgrade. It is important to reassure the customer it is important to get the most enjoyment from their pool in all seasons but also that the pool is not costing them a fortune.
It is important to offer and explain the benefits of today’s state-of-the-art pool heating equipment and the importance of routine heater service to maintain the equipment’s high efficiency. Providing these facts will make it easier for retailers to sell more heaters as well as become the customer’s go-to resource for pool equipment and other related knowledge.
The importance of understanding new high-efficiency pool heaters
Pool professionals sometimes forget the importance of explaining how pool heaters work, as even a basic description of the water heater mechanism will lead to an explanation of the benefits of upgrading to a high-efficiency pool heater.
Depending on the model, begin by explaining the very basics—from how the pump circulates the water by drawing it from the pool, passes it through the filter, and into the heater to how the heater’s combustion chamber ignites the gas, heating the copper tube located above the burner tray. As the water passes through, heat from the copper tubes is conducted to the water, increasing the temperature. The water then returns to the pool and re-circulates for consistent heating. This simple process provides quick, controlled heating of the pool water.
Once a customer understands how the unit works, they will need to understand why a higher efficiency rating translates to the lowest possible cost.
Explaining heater efficiency
Pool heaters are rated by British thermal units (Btus) input and output, which range from 75,000 to 4.5 million Btus.
Newer pool heaters start off being 82 to 96 per cent efficient—this means if the heater is rated 84 per cent efficient with a 400,000 Btu input, the actual heating capability is 84 per cent of the total Btus—so in this case, it would be 336,000 Btus. By comparison, using this same example, a 400,000 Btu heater that is seven to 10 years old, which was initially 78 per cent efficient, only provides 312,000 Btus of output.
The most important detail pool professionals should explain to clients is how the original efficiency rating of their heater does not remain the same throughout its operating life. Unfortunately, most heaters lose efficiency over time due to lack of service. If the client is looking to have warmer water and spend less money to get it, they will need to get a newer, higher-efficiency heater. One of the easiest ways heater efficiency can be explained to a customer is by telling them if a heater is 82 per cent efficient, every dollar spent on gas, 82 cents goes into heating the pool water and the remaining 18 cents goes up the chimney or into the atmosphere.
Using an online cost calculator will provide the customer with a more accurate idea of what their yearly savings would be if the customer were to have a new heater installed. Some manufacturers provide tools that allow professionals to input the size of the pool to determine the total litres/gallons of water being heated as well as the customer’s desired water temperature. Further, pool professionals can use an online calculator to determine the cost of heating the water and then compare it to what the customer is currently paying. In most cases, the customer will realize they can reduce their energy bills by 30 per cent simply by upgrading to a newer, energy-efficient heater.
