If you own an Arizona home with a swimming pool you’ll want to be aware that the Arizona Legislature recently passed Title 44 that requires new energy-efficiency standards for residential pool pumps, pool pump motors and portable electric spas. This new legislation went into effect January 1, 2012.
The new Arizona law doesn’t mean you have to run out and change your in-ground pool and spa motor immediately, but it does require any newly installed pumps that are at least one horsepower or greater to meet the new standards. Dual-speed pumps will be the minimum efficiency for pool pump installations moving forward, and inefficient single-speed pumps will no longer be allowed.
By requiring the change on all pool pumps over one horsepower or greater, the new regulation is thought to be something that will ultimately help homeowner’s save money over time.
Some pool experts say that single-speed pool pumps are fine if all you want to do is circulate the water in the pool but they don’t have enough speed to run a pool cleaner, waterfall or other electrical extras that need an occasional, bigger blast of energy.
If the pump has only has one speed, it’s running full-blast even when your pool cleaner and waterfall aren’t operating—with no option to dial back to a lower level of energy when all you need is to circulate the water—which is most of the time.
That’s a huge waste of energy, and it’s costing a pool owner about 80 percent more in electric bills than the owner should be paying.
While some critics of the new regulation complain that it will require consumers to purchase pricey upgrades in what is already a tight economy—at $1200 to $1400—it is thought that pool owners should recoup the cost within three years with the amount of money saved on yearly electricity bills.
It is said by some pool company professionals that after the first three years the pool owner will save money by going with a variable-speed model. Depending on how a pool owner adjusts their seasonal timer, they can go from paying $350 to $400 a year with a single-speed pump, down to $100 per year and some as low as $55 with a newer pool pump.
A pool pump can use more electricity than any other appliance in a person’s house except their air conditioner. Pool professionals say that many pools are equipped with pumps that are too big and use way more energy than the person needs to keep the water sparkling clean. The new regulation will ultimately help homeowner’s save money over time.
Pool professionals say that the best bet is the variable-speed pump. It is said that it can cut energy use by up to 80 percent compared with single-speed pumps.
To learn more about the new Arizona pool pump law and determine how to best handle your own pool pump needs, contact your the service professional who services your pool.
To read more about Title 44 here are links –
More information about the law regulating pool pumps can be found in Title 44, Chapter 9, Article 19, Section 44-1375 of the Arizona Revised Statutes:
- 44-1375 — Definitions
- 44-1375.01 — Applicability
- 44-1375.02 — Standards
- 44-1375.03 — Certification and compliance; violation; civil penalty
Also SRP has a page dedicated to pool pumps that you may find helpful.