Getting a handle on the running costs of a swimming school is so crucial to its success as a business. Like any business, if the overheads aren’t kept in check, profit margins can quickly start to dwindle.
One of the most effective ways for swim school owners or managers of large, high-traffic commercial pools (think schools and gyms) to maximise on their water, electricity and chemical savings is to install a solar blanket.
Here’s why:
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Lock in the heat
When the sun sets and the cool night air sets in, much of the heat your pool gained throughout the day will be lost. A solar blanket – which looks like a durable, heavy duty bubblewrap – sits on the surface and creates a layer that prevents some of this heat from dissipating.
The bubbles act as little magnifying glasses which heat up the water.
Retaining heat has advantages for pools that are electrically heated and for those that aren’t. For unheated outdoor pools, a solar blanket can raise the water temperature by as much as 10℃.
And pairing an electric pool heater with a solar blanket means the heater won’t have to run as long to keep the pool’s temperature steady. All thanks to the free energy from the sun!
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Cut the evaporation
South Africa is a water scarce country and we should all be doing our bit when it comes to saving water.
Commercial swimming pools are large bodies of water with large surface areas and are therefore easily affected by evaporation.
A solar blanket can reduce the amount of evaporation by 95% – 98%, eliminating this problem and drastically reducing the water bill.
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Keep the water clean
A solar blanket creates a barrier that prevents dirt and debris from getting into the water. Consequently, this will reduce the load on your filtration system and will help save time and money on the labour spent cleaning the water.
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Keep chemicals in check
When water evaporates from your pool, you don’t just lose the water. Some of the chemicals that are used to treat the water are also lost into the atmosphere. By reducing evaporation, a solar pool cover also keeps the chemicals in the water, drastically reducing the need to keep chlorinating.
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Stay open for longer
By keeping the water warmer and cleaner with a solar blanket – especially on outdoor pools – swimming school owners and managers will be able to offer extended swimming times. Up to four months in many cases! This could potentially keep more feet coming through the door and boost the business’s bottom line.
For swimming school owners and commercial pool managers, a solar blanket will help to reduce expenses on water, electricity, and chemicals.
And by keeping the water temperatures warmer and more stable, they can help owners and managers extend their swimming “seasons”.
In tough economic times, businesses need to look at ways to reduce costs.
By taking the plunge and investing in a solar blanket, swimming school owners and managers of large, high-traffic commercial pools can “watch the pennies and let the pounds take care of themselves”.