Summer is just around the corner, and as the weather gets warmer we are all looking to spend more time outside. For some of our members, that means opening up the backyard pool.

While I hope everything goes smoothly when opening your pools this spring, if the situation arises where you would need a new pool pump, there are some options out there that could save you some money.

By moving from a single-stage pool pump to a variable speed, you not only could receive a rebate from Power Moves — a program for REMC consumers from our power supplier — but you will also use less electricity. Variable-speed pool pumps allow the member to control the pump’s revolutions per minute (RPMs) throughout the day vs. a single-stage pump.

Once a single-stage pump turns on, it is running at full capacity the entire time. Most variable-speed pool pumps have an internal timer, or a computer, that allows the member to control the RPMs.

To give you an idea of how much you could save from a kilowatt-hour standpoint, if you exchange a single-stage 1.5-horsepower pump for a variable-speed pump and it runs for 24 hours a day, you can save 1,173 kWh in a year’s time. (That’s about $120!) The kWh savings will change depending on the size of your pool, the size of your pump, how many hours you currently run your pool pump a day, and how many months your pool is used. 

Power Moves has added a variable-speed pool pump rebate for 2019 of $250.

To qualify for the rebate, you must be replacing a single-stage pool pump with a variable-speed pump. The variable-speed pump you are installing must be Energy Star-rated. The blue and white Energy Star logo will be

located on the equipment and the packaging. If you do not see it on either the pump or the packaging, then it is most likely not Energy Star-rated.

The size of your pool and the name brand of the pump do not matter for the rebate. If you’re a member of Heartland REMC and you have a situation that meets the criteria for the rebate, then you can qualify for the $250 rebate.

Please visit powermoves.com for more information or feel free to reach out to me, Garrett Keiser, your Heartland REMC energy advisor.