Residential swimming pool pumps use significant amounts of energy. At present about 10 per cent of Australian homes have a swimming pool yet they contribute to approximately 0.5 per cent of Australia’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions (~ 3 Mt of CO2).
Conventional pool pumping systems utilise fixed speed AC electric motors. Variable speed motors capable of running at slower speeds than conventional motors are a simple energy efficiency retrofit that can deliver energy and carbon reductions of about 75 per cent. Pool pumps are also a significant with respect to their impact on peak demand. This project aims to investigate the technical and economic opportunities of a number of pool pump systems to establish the optimum system that can deliver: reduced energy usage and cost to consumers, minimise impact on the grid in terms of peak demand and minimise carbon emissions.
Program
Project leader
A/Prof Alistair Sproul, UNSW
Project status
Complete
Project period
03/2014 to 03/2017
- Publications
- Posters
- News articles
Peer Reviewed Research Publications
RP1014: Journal Article: Experimental study of a solar pool heating system under lower flow and low pump speed conditions
The operation of an unglazed, open-loop, solar-collector for residential pool heating was investigated experimentally under various flow conditions. The objective was to examine if solar pool collectors can be operated at lower flow conditions to minimize the pump energy while still providing sufficient thermal energy output to heat the pool. The system consists of a 20.5 m2 plastic tube, solar collector and a 36 m2 in-ground open-air pool. Key parameters were monitored over 38 days to validate a steady state model. The model achieved a good fit against the measured data and was used to simulate the system performance under various scenarios. Operating the system at low pump speed with a mass flow rate per unit collector area (m˙/AC) of 0.016 kgs−1m−2 was found to be optimal and achieved 60% pump energy savings. The coefficient of performance was increased by 2.5 times without compromising the thermal performance of the system in comparison to the Business as Usual (BAU) case. The optimal m˙/AC is approximately 50% of the lower limit specified by International and Australian Standards. Assuming all systems in Australia were operated under optimal conditions, annually 180 GWh of electricity consumption and 150 kilotonnes of CO2 emissions could be avoided.
Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.12.006
RP1014: Journal Article: Experimental study of a solar pool heating system under lower flow and low pump speed conditions
The operation of an unglazed, open-loop, solar-collector for residential pool heating was investigated experimentally under various flow conditions. The objective was to examine if solar pool collectors can be operated at lower flow conditions to minimize the pump energy while still providing sufficient thermal energy output to heat the pool. The system consists of a 20.5 m2 plastic tube, solar collector and a 36 m2 in-ground open-air pool. Key parameters were monitored over 38 days to validate a steady state model. The model achieved a good fit against the measured data and was used to simulate the system performance under various scenarios. Operating the system at low pump speed with a mass flow rate per unit collector area (m˙/AC) of 0.016 kgs−1m−2 was found to be optimal and achieved 60% pump energy savings. The coefficient of performance was increased by 2.5 times without compromising the thermal performance of the system in comparison to the Business as Usual (BAU) case. The optimal m˙/AC is approximately 50% of the lower limit specified by International and Australian Standards. Assuming all systems in Australia were operated under optimal conditions, annually 180 GWh of electricity consumption and 150 kilotonnes of CO2 emissions could be avoided.
Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.12.006
RP1014: Final report: Impact of energy efficient pool pumps on peak demand, energy costs and carbon reduction
A whole system approach was adopted to optimize a residential pool filtering system. This project presents for the first time, the experimental measurements of the pool water quality (i.e., the chemical concentrations) and all energy-consuming components when operating the filtering system at low flow conditions.
RP1014: Conference Paper: Whole System Design of an Energy Efficient Residential Pool System
Fact sheet
RP1014 FACTSHEET: Minimising Your Pool's Energy Consumption
Pool pumps are the second biggest user of electricity in Australian homes after hot water systems, and pool pump motors are often more powerful and run longer and much faster than required.
Significant dollar and carbon savings can be achieved by adjusting the pump’s speed and run times to achieve maximum efficiency – by installing a controller or a variable speed and energy efficient pump. There is no negative impact on water quality, keeping your pool pristine.
CRCLCL Project Posters
Student Poster 2017: RP1014 - Impact of energy efficiency pool pumps on peak demand, energy costs and carbon reduction
Student poster 2015: RP1014 Impact of energy efficient pool pumps on peak demand, energy costs and carbon reduction
Student poster - Participants Annual Forum 2016 - Jianzhou Zhao Impact of energy efficiency pool pumps on peak demand, energy costs and carbon reduction
Jianzhou Zhao Student Poster 2016 RP1014 (335056 PDF)
Impact of energy efficient pool pumps on peak demand, energy costs and carbon reduction
Jianzhou Zhao student poster 2015 RP1014 (205411 PDF)
Student poster 2016: RP1014 Impact of energy efficiency pool pumps on peak demand, energy costs and carbon reduction
Student poster - Participants Annual Forum 2016 - Jianzhou Zhao Impact of energy efficiency pool pumps on peak demand, energy costs and carbon reduction
Jianzhou Zhao Student Poster 2016 RP1014 (335056 PDF)
News articles
RP1015: News Article: UNSW research pinpoints residential energy guzzlers
Energy guzzling appliances, oversized houses and poor thermal performance mean some households are paying up to $12,000 a year in power bills, new research into residential energy use has found....
Read the full article in the Fifth Estate 20 August 2015: https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/education/unsw-research-pinpoints-residential-energy-guzzlers/76755/
New study reveals ducted air-conditioning and pools drive Sydney’s residential electricity demand
17 August 2015
The first comprehensive modelling study to pinpoint the highest drivers of a typical Sydney household’s daily electricity demand has been published online in Elselvier’s international journal Energy and Buildings, revealing that ducted air-conditioning and pools are the top culprits.
Undertaken by the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and funded by the CRC for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL), the study used data from Australia’s first large-scale smart grid project (Australian Smart Grid Smart City) and associated household surveys conducted on driving factors such as household demographics, dwelling type, utilities, white goods, weather, behaviours and attitude.
CRCLC Integrated Buildings Systems Program Leader and study co-author, Associate Professor Alistair Sproul said the results will help policy makers and planners measure the impact of different housing types and housing trends on local electricity demand.
“We found that air-conditioning and pools were the top two drivers as the study showed households with ducted air-conditioning used on average 79% more electricity than those with none, while those with a split air-conditioning system consumed some 34% more. Pool pumps were also a big energy user as 15% of households surveyed had a pool and their annual average daily electricity demand was 93% higher than those without,” he said.
“Overall the data collected showed a variety of patterns and behaviours for different households and residential building types so when planning for new dwellings we can accurately measure the future energy demand and find ways to make a residential building project more energy efficient.