Many different types of swimming pool heaters are available. Most heaters currently on the
market burn fossil fuels. While gas heaters can often be purchased and installed at a lower price
than the PCS1, they quickly make up the difference in cost in the form of “energy consumed”.
Gas heaters represent the majority of the heaters sold today and typically will cost at least $250.00
or more per month to operate. At $1.30 per therm gas prices in January 2001, gas heaters could
easily cost $600 a month to use on a moderately sized pool. Therefore, caution should be used
whenever a gas heater is deployed if operating costs are a factor in your budget. The PCS1, in
contrast, burns no fossil fuels and only costs an estimated $10.00 per month to operate.
A free "Guide to Pool Heating" is available on the SolarAttic website. In this guide are
energy templates where you can determine the operating costs that you will face with various pool
heating options. This guide is free and is recommended as a means for pool owners to sort out the
true costs of using various types of pool heaters.
All solar systems use renewable energy and are very efficient when heating swimming
pools. Depending upon location, a solar system may provide 100% of the energy to heat your
pool or may require some form of backup heater. The PCS1 follows the same rules as
conventional solar panel systems. So, what is the difference then? The difference is the panels.
The PCS1 provides solar heating without having to use roof mounted panels. This is a major
advancement in solar heating technology!
The following pages highlight some of the problems associated with solar panels, gas
heaters, and heat pumps. Additional discussions of pool heaters are contained in three special
reports: “How To Calculate Pool Heating Costs”, “How To Create An Energy Efficient Pool” and
“How To Understand Pool Heat Pumps.” These are available free at SolarAttic's website.
A backup heater may be desired in certain areas to further extend the swimming season.
Check with your local solar dealer to find out how long the swimming season is with a solar panel
system. The PCS1 will have a similar length. Make sure you have an efficient pool; use the PCS1
solar heater; and, use a pool blanket judiciously. If, after using these techniques, your season is
not as long as you would like -- then install a backup heater.
The following problems can occur with
solar panels:
Massive roof installations
Roof facing wrong direction
1-3
4-6
7-9
10-12
13-15
16-18
19-21
22-24
25-27
28-30
31-33
34-36
37-39
40-42
43-45
46-48
49-51
52-54
55-57
58-60
61-63
64-66
67-69
70-72
73-75
76-78
79-81
82-84
85-87
88-90
91-93
94-96
97-99
100-102
103-105
106-108
109-111
112-114
115-117
118-120
121
