What is the cheapest way to heat a pool here?
For most villas, an inverter pool heat pump that runs in the middle of the day on solar electricity. A heat pump moves heat from the warm air into the water and delivers several times more heat than the electricity it uses. Pair it with a good cover and the running cost drops sharply.
Sizing the heat pump
We size it from the pool's surface area and volume, how exposed it is to wind, whether it has a cover, the temperature you want and the months you want to swim. Heating to 27 °C in April is a very different job from keeping 26 °C in October. An undersized unit runs all day and never catches up; an oversized one costs more than it needs to.
Running it on solar
Pool heating and filtration are ideal solar loads because they can run at midday. If you already have panels, we check how much surplus you export and set the heat pump to use it. If you are installing solar at the same time, we include the pool in the system design so the array covers it without being oversized for the rest of the year.
What the installation involves
- Positioning the heat pump close to the pool plant room, with airflow and noise in mind
- Plumbing into the filtration circuit with a bypass
- A dedicated electrical supply and protection
- Timer or smart control so heating runs during solar hours
Covers make the biggest difference
Most heat is lost from the water surface at night. A cover can cut that loss by more than half, so a smaller heat pump does the job. We recommend one with every pool heating installation.
Questions we are often asked
How long is the swimming season with a heat pump?
On the Costa del Sol many owners swim comfortably from April or May to late October or November, depending on the target temperature and the cover.
Can solar panels heat the pool directly?
Solar thermal pool panels exist, but a heat pump run on solar PV is usually more flexible: the same panels also power the house when the pool is not being heated.
How much does it cost to run?
It depends on pool size, cover and target temperature. Run in daylight on solar, much of the electricity comes from your own panels.
Is a heat pump noisy?
Modern inverter units are quiet, but we still position them away from bedrooms and neighbours where possible.