Get with the program
Every time a filtration system is backwashed, money is lost, not only from the water going down the drain, but the cost to heat and chemically treat the pool’s make-up water. Most aquatic facility filtration systems incorporate manual backwash, which means the pool operator backwashes the filtration system on a regular maintenance schedule, whether the system needs it or not.
By specifying filtration systems with micro-processor control, which can backwash based on pressure differential, the filter will only enter this mode when it measures an influent pressure (water within the filtration system) higher than a pre-set limit. For example, the system can be programmed to backwash only when the influent pressure is 69 kPa (10 psi) greater than the effluent pressure (water outside the filtration system).
Rather than operating on a regular maintenance schedule, an automated filtration system will only go into backwash mode when necessary, thereby saving water, heating and chemical treatment costs.
Expect more from a pool heater
Pool heaters, while similar to traditional water-heating boilers, have historically been less than stellar when it comes to energy efficiency. However, since pool water is heated directly within the heater, they are capable of being more efficient than traditional plate-and-frame or tube-and-shell heat exchangers, which are connected to a central boiler plant. Within the past five to 10 years, pool heater manufacturers have greatly improved product efficiencies. In fact, pool heaters with up to 89 per cent thermal efficiency are more commonly available. Careful attention should be paid to the type of pool heater being proposed by the consultant or contractor.
Warming up to thermal blankets
One daily task, which can yield major savings for an aquatic facility, is the use of a thermal blanket. While some commercial pool operators may dislike the labour involved in removing and replacing a pool cover each day, the cost and energy savings are phenomenal when compared to a facility not using thermal blankets.
Studies on outdoor commercial pools have shown natural gas cost savings up to 50 per cent for operators who are dutiful in replacing pool blankets every evening. At an average capital cost of $3.50 per square foot of water surface area, thermal blankets can pay for themselves quickly.
A recent case study on the outdoor pool at the Lindsay Wellness Center in California revealed a $19,000 investment in thermal swimming pool blankets would lower annual energy costs by $35,158 (34.6 per cent) and reduce annual water consumption by 961,930 L (254,115 gal) or 34.5 per cent. The facility’s return on investment (ROI) was realized in six months. By using thermal blankets on one of the facility’s indoor pools, ROI was realized in a little more than six months.
