Pool, Spa and Sauna

Table of Contents

Swimming Pool

Showers
Changing room
Toilet
Have a circulation pump and separate massage jets pump
$45 per month
The humidity for an indoor pool area should be set to between 50-60%RH

Switch to a variable speed pump

One of the most significant consumers of energy for swimming pools is the pool pump and can consume between 3,000 to more than 5,000 kWh per year. The upfront cost of a swimming pool pump represents just 20 percent of the total expenditure on an average pump, with the ongoing electricity costs representing the other 80 percent.

Pool covers can reduce extra heating requirements. Evaporation removes heating energy from your pool and can account for up to 70 per cent energy loss. Pool covers themselves can generate a slight temperature rise in your pool, as much as 4-8 degrees.

Using a general 100,000 BTU pool heat pump, the power you`ll utilize is approximately 5,000 Watts per hour.

The heater in the spa pool is the main electricity siphon, ranging between 2000 watts (2 kWh) up to 9000 watts (6 kWh) in larger models. Most are around the 3000-4000 range. The pumps vary, but usually run around 1500 watts, making the average around 5000 watts (5kWh).

Swimming pool in orangerie style building to use excess summer solar power, keep leaves out and heat in.

14,000 litre fiberglass pool with gelcoat for lowest maintenance. $16k from Narellan 5.5m x 2.5m

Waterfall on back of exterior wall

Combining a positive pressure system with Air tightness, in conjunction with an ERV is the ultimate solution.

Air Tightness Blower door test:
Highly insulated ceilings, walls and floors (no cold spots)
NO SINGLE GLASS, especially between wet and dry zones – Use only double-glazed windows and thermally insulated frames (no metal frames unless thermally broken)
Airtight building envelope. Target 2-3 m3/h/m2@50Pa, its critical!
Integrate ERV/HRV to bathroom/shower ventilation services.
Wet Area finishing: e.g. blue-board or cement sheet walls and ceilings, corrosive resistant finishes, etc. The Air tightness layer should be vapour impermeable, and the insulation layer should be continuous on this layer.
Insulation should be continuous, on walls connected to outside, as well as on walls connected to dry zone areas.
Doors to outside or dry areas should never be pinned open. Otherwise, pressure cannot be maintained. The other issues are, that doorways are usually located down low, and air flows down low, on top of the water can increase humidification.
Heat the air as well as the water (e.g. 26^oC water & 24^oC air).
Ventilate Sustainably with an Energy Recovery Ventilation & Air Filtration System:
Removes moist indoor air and corrosives (chlorine gas and salts),
Recovers up to 80% of heat from pool room and uses this to pre-heat incoming fresh air,
Returns condensate to the pool.
Use a Pool Blanket when the pool is not in use (reduces evaporation by 30%).
Surface-mounted lighting – to prevent any ‘break’ in wall or ceiling (moisture can penetrate and/or insulation coverage may be compromised).
The air barrier must be in line and continuous with the thermal insulation layer.
Monitor conditions – indoor and outdoor air temperature, indoor humidity and water temperature.
Pressure test your building on a regular basis, to ensure your aquatic centre is performing.
The heat retention capability, or U value, of the pool shell structure should be equal to or less than 0.25 watts per m²K.
Backed by a sprayed polyurethane layer with an extruded polystyrene (XPS) under the floor.
- XPS is often selected over EPS for wetter environments that require a higher water vapor diffusion resistance value
- The compressive strength of XPS is greater than that of EPS
an automatic pool cover should be used to minimise evaporation losses when the pool is not being used.
The “set back” temperature would normally be of the order of 21^oC allowing the air heating to be shut off some 6^oC earlier than the typical “occupied” condition of 30^oC.
The air can be directed around the pool hall either by extract fans operating on humidistats and discharging humid air out of the pool hall and drawing in fresh air from the outside.
Build areas like spas and steps so they are built internally within the overall pool shape.