We’ve been guilty before of not doing the math on how much you can really save when it comes to variable speed pumps like the Water TecniX VorteX. With the help of a flow meter and some maths, we’ve come up the exact figures on how much a variable speed pump can save you with the proper usage.
For this test, we’ll use a pool with 90,000litres of water which is right around average for a decent-sized Australian pool. We’re also going to be factoring in the average electricity cost in Australia as of July 2022 which is $0.27 per kWh. Now costs may be higher or lower depending on where you live but essentially the percentages when it comes to savings will be the same.
1.5 HP Single Speed Water TechniX Pump LEO
378 LPM / 22,680 LPH
1.56 kW per hour (22,680 Liters)
Pool Volume: 90,000 liters
Filtration goal: 270,000 liters (3x volume turnover)
Approx 11 hours needed to turnover 270,000 liters
11 x 1.56 kW x $0.27 (nationwide average electricity cost)
Single Speed Running Costs
$4.332 / Day
$138.99/Month
$1,667.95/year
$13,343.61/8 years
1.5 HP Water TechniX VorteX
4 Hours @ 3000 RPM / 325 LPM
6 Hours @ 2000 RPM / 208 LPM
14 Hours @ 1000 RPM / 110 LPM
1040 W/h @ 3000 x 4 = 4.16 kW
348 W/h @ 2000 x 6 = 2.1 kW Watts
68 W/h @ 1000 x 14 = 0.953 kW Watts
7.21 kW per day x $0.27 / kWh
Variable Speed Running Costs
$1.95/day
$58.50/month
$702/year
$5,616/8 years
Average Electricity Savings with the VorteX ECO
$80.49 savings per month.
$966 savings per year
$7,727 savings on the lifetime of the pump (estimated 8 years)
SEE ALSO: Investing in an ECO-Friendly Pool
Explaining the numbers: Water Turn-over
As a rule of thumb, the average pool should have its water turned over AT LEAST once but it would be best to turn it over two to three times. In this example, we’re turning over the pool water THREE times for optimal filtration and maximum pool chemical effectivity.
The reason for this is that pool water simply doesn’t line up to get filtered, when you turn over the volume of your pool for the first time (first 90,000 liters as per our example) only 63% of the water is actually filtered, don’t ask me, it’s just physics. On the second filtration pass approximately filters 86% and the final filtration pass hits around 95% of your pool water.
What to with the Electricity Savings?
As you can see from the numbers above, optimally filtering your pool water saves you about $966 per year with a variable speed pump like the Water TechniX VorteX, which is the cost of a brand new pool pump! Remember, that’s SAVINGS alone. This means you can basically cover the costs of all of your pool chemicals from the savings alone.
What’s more, over the lifetime of your pump, which is on average about 8-12 years, in this case, we’ll be conservative and use 8 years, you can see that the savings on electricity alone is $7,727! This can go towards a pool heat pump, a salt and mineral chlorinator, and other pool accessories.
So when we say that the Water TechniX VorteX pays for itself in electricity savings, it actually does when you look at the math and the numbers.
Having a hard time choosing the right variable speed pump for your tool? Check out this article about Choosing the right energy efficient variable speed pool pump.
Now your results may be off by a little bit, but as you can see by the numbers, the savings between having a standard single-speed pump and a variable-speed pump is massive and any difference in savings will still be significant.
SEE ALSO: Standard Pool Pumps VS ECO Pool Pumps, by the Numbers
What Makes the VorteX Variable Speed Pump so Special
Simply put, the Water TechniX VorteX is one of the best full variable speed pumps on the market today with a 100% copper heavy duty motor. Designed to retrofit Astral Viron P320 CTX and similar pumps, the VorteX is easy to install and easy to use.
Unlike dual-speed pumps, the VorteX ECO speed levels are customizable so that you can dial in the exact speed (in RPM) that you need for any situation. Not only that, but the low speed settings are more than adequate to activate your heat pumps and salt/mineral chlorinators.
To know more about the Water TechniX pool equipments mentioned above, check them down below:
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Happy swimming :)