By Melissa Blewitt

Condobolin pool owners are being urged to check their pool pump timers and electricity costs before the summer swimming season gets underway.
The warning comes as households prepare backyard pools for warmer weather, with the amount of time a pump operates each day potentially adding significantly to household electricity bills.
Energy Rebate Check spokesperson David Perry said pool pumps were among the household appliances that could operate for several hours every day.
“A pool pump is one of the few appliances in the home that can run for six or eight hours every single day, and many people set the timer once and barely think about it again,” Mr Perry said.
As an example, a pump drawing one kilowatt and operating for eight hours would use about eight kilowatt hours of electricity.
At an electricity rate of 30 cents per kilowatt hour, that equates to about $2.40 a day, or $216 over a 90-day period.
Actual costs vary depending on the pump, operating speed, run time and electricity tariff.
There is no single daily operating time suitable for every pool, with pool volume, pump flow rate, filtration equipment, water conditions and usage all affecting how much filtration is required.
Warmer weather and increased swimming can also place greater demands on pool filtration and sanitation.
Pool owners are also being encouraged to check their electricity tariff before deciding when to run their pumps.
Households on time-of-use plans may pay different rates depending on when electricity is consumed, meaning suitable pump operation could potentially be shifted away from higher-priced peak periods.
However, moving a pump from daytime to overnight will not reduce the electricity rate for households on a flat-rate tariff.
Pool owners should also consider equipment requirements and noise when changing pump operating times.
The type and age of the pump can also affect running costs.
Older single-speed pumps operate at one fixed speed, while variable-speed pumps can operate at lower speeds for suitable filtration tasks and higher speeds when greater water flow is required.
Mr Perry said reducing pump hours was not necessarily the best way to cut electricity costs.
“People can assume the answer to a high pool electricity cost is simply running the pump for fewer hours, but reducing filtration too far can create other problems,” he said.
“The better question is whether the pump doing all those hours is appropriate and efficient for the pool.”
Eligible NSW households may also be able to access incentives when replacing certain existing pool pumps with qualifying energy-efficient models.
Pool owners are advised to check current eligibility requirements and incentive details before purchasing or installing replacement equipment.
Energy Rebate Check has published a free guide covering pool pump operating times, electricity costs and considerations around when to run a pump.