Pool Heater Calculations

[Silver_2000]

They make it intentionally impossible to know real cost

My cost number was from my last 12 bills
The amount paid in total divided by the usage and averaged ...

 

[rwx]

Just look at the bill where you ran the heater, and divide the total bill by the CCF.

 

[rwx]

Update -- I am collecting heat loss data on a pool at a rental house that I have. It is exposed directly to the wind, which has been relatively high for the last few days. Preliminary data shows that there needs to be some changes made to account for higher wind conditions (which are much higher than the 3-4 MPH baseline)

When heating the pool, the cooling effect needs to be accounted for, which will lengthen the heating time. For a small pool with a large gas heater, the cooling effect is minor, but for a large pool and a low BTU heater (like a heat pump), the cooling effect needs to be accounted for.

I will post some real data when I can get it downloaded.

Also, mas985 has some detailed spreadsheets on heat transfer from the pool water to the ambient, so I'll see how that compares.

 

[Dirk]

Not weighing in on the spreadsheet itself, just offering a suggestion for the file issues you discuss early on, for this project, or a future one. You could always share this kind of spreadsheet data in a Google Doc. Upload the current version to Google, and then just post the link. That would virtually guarantee it "safe for consumption." Plus, you can collaborate with others, even in real time. You can make it editable by all, or read-only by all, or pick and choose who gets to edit. You don't have to pass it around, trying to manage who has the latest version. The latest version is always available to all, online. Plus you can track edits by yourself and others. On and on. It's the way to go for a project like this.

And when it's done, folks can download it as an Excel file to use on their own computer! Voila!

 

[rwx]

Thanks, Dirk -- good suggestion