Did you know that the average pool pump uses around 2172 kWh per year? This is roughly $282!
Further, the electricity rates aren’t getting any lower. In fact, according to Statista, electricity price in the United States has increased by 2.8% in 2021.
For this reason, many people are looking for more cost-efficient ways to power their pool pumps and there is no better way to do it than using solar power and take your pool pump off-grid.
But, how many solar panels do I need to run a pool pump?
Well, if you are looking for a detailed answer, then you have come to the right place.
In this article, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide, so you can know exactly how many solar panels you need to power a pool pump.
Also, at the end of the article, we made a table containing the most common pool pumps’ sizes, how many panels do they need, and how much money can the save you.
So without further ado, let’s jump right into the first step.
Step 1: Calculate your Pool Pump Daily Energy Consumption
In order to know how many solar panels do you need, first, you need to calculate your pool pump daily energy consumption.
And to calculate the daily power consumption you need to:
- Figure out your pool pump wattage
- Calculate how many hours do you need to run your pool pump each day
- Multiply the number of run hours per day by the pool pump wattage
Related article: How many solar panels do I need to run air conditioner
A. Figure out your Pool Pump Wattage
A pool pump energy consumption is measured in HP or horsepower, which is equivalent to 745.7 Watt/hours.
So, if you have a 1 HP pool pump, this means that it uses 745.7 Watts for every working hour.
To make your life easier, here is a list of the most common pool pumps’ sizes and their wattages:
- 0.5 HP pool pump: 372.85 Watts/Hour
- 0.75 HP pool pump: 559.275 Watts/Hour
- 1 HP pool pump: 745.7 Watts/Hour
- 1.5 HP pool pump: 1118.55 Watts/Hour
- 2 HP pool pump: 1491.4 Watts/Hour
- 2.5 HP pool pump: 1864.25 Watts/Hour
- 3 HP pool pump: 2237.1 Watts/Hour
B. Calculate How Many Hours Do you Need to Run your Pool Pump Each Day
Your pool pump job is to keep your pool clean by making sure all the water is circulated and run through your pump’s filter.
How long it takes to filter your pool depends on 2 things:
- The volume of your pool in gallons
- The turnover rate, which is how many gallons of water does your pump push per hour (GPH)
How to Calculate your Pool Pump Turnover Rate (GPH)?
As a rule of thumb, a 1 HP pump will push around 52 gallons per minute (GPM). This means that it pushes 3120 gallons per hour (GPH).
Here is a list of the most common pool pumps’ horsepowers and their expected turnover rate:
- 0.5 HP pool pump: 1560 GPH
- 0.75 HP pool pump: 2340 GPH
- 1 HP pool pump: 3120 GPH
- 1.5 HP pool pump: 4680 GPH
- 2 HP pool pump: 6240 GPH
- 2.5 HP pool pump: 7800 GPH
- 3 HP pool pump: 9360 GPH
How to Calculate the Volume of your Pool in Gallons?
Calculating the volume of you pool is very easy, all you need to do is to follow this simple formula:
Note: If your pool has variable depths, then just take the average depth by adding the biggest depth and smallest depth and divide them by 2.
But, what if my pool is circular?
Well don’t worry, in case of a circular pool, you can use this equation instead:
Now after calculating both the pool volume and the turnover rate, all we need to do is to divide them to get the expected turnover time:
C. Calculate your Pool Pump Daily Energy Consumption
Finally, we have all we need to calculate the daily energy consumption.
Related article: How many solar panels do I need to run a fridge
Step 2: Calculate How Much Energy Does A Solar Panel Produce in your Area
The amount of power produced by a solar panel depends on many variables such as:
- Solar panel efficiency
- Solar Panel wattage
- How many hours of direct sunlight your panels get
- How intense is the sunbeam
- Shading
- Roof slope
- Azimuth
And this is why it can be pretty hard to know exactly how much power will your solar panel produce, as there are many variables to consider.
However, the easiest and fastest way to do this is to multiply your solar panel wattage by the number of direct sunlight hours you get each day.
For instance, let’s assume we have a 200 Watt solar panel and our location gets around 5 hours of sunlight/day.
So this means that every 200 watt panel will produce 1kW/Day.
Related article: How much energy can a solar panel produce
Step 3: Calculate the Number of Solar Panels You Need to Power Pool Pump
Finally, we have all the information we need to calculate how many solar panels to run a pool pump.
Now, all we need is to follow this simple equation:
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need To Run A Pool Pump
| Pool Pump Size | Daily Energy Consumption (8 hours/Day) | Monthly Energy Consumption | Number of Panels (200 Watt) | Yearly Savings (0.13c/kW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 HP | 2.982 kWh | 90.6 kWh | 3 Panels | $141.5 |
| 0.75 HP | 4.474 kWh | 136 kWh | 4.5 Panels | $212.2 |
| 1 HP | 5.965 kWh | 181.2 kWh | 6 Panels | $282.6 |
| 1.5 HP | 8.95 kWh | 272.1 kWh | 9 Panels | $424.5 |
| 2 HP | 11.9 kWh | 363 kWh | 12 Panels | $566.3 |
| 2.5 HP | 14.9 kWh | 453.4 kWh | 15 Panels | $707.3 |
| 3 HP | 17.89 kWh | 543.6 kWh | 18 Panels | $848 |
Related article: How long does it take for solar panels to pay for themselves
Last Words
A solar pool pump is a great investment that can save you tons of money each month. However, it also has some disadvantages such as the high initial cost, weather dependence, space, etc.
So, make sure to weight the prod and cons before opting for such an investment.
In the end, we really hope you enjoyed this article as much as we did.
Do you have any questions?
If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
