Pool swim season in Ashland, OR
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Ashland, OR?
An unheated pool in Ashland never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 73°F in Aug. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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What each heater buys you in Ashland
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 1 | Aug | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $375 | $925 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $757 | $1,182 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at OR prices of 15.5¢/kWh electricity and $17/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Ashland
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 5 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $71 for each month it adds.
Before you pay for any heater, buy a solar cover: on its own it adds 1 month here for about $50 a year (why a cover comes first). If you get quotes, ask for a heat pump sized to your pool's surface area; here it beats gas all-in (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Ashland, 1.7 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Ashland month by month: air, sun and pool water
| Month | Air high | Air avg | Sun kWh/m²/day | Water, unheated | Water, covered | Heat pump $ | Gas $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49° | 39° | 1.7 | 38° | 44° | – | – |
| Feb | 54° | 42° | 2.6 | 40° | 46° | – | – |
| Mar | 58° | 45° | 3.7 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| Apr | 63° | 49° | 5.2 | 49° | 55° | – | – |
| May | 71° | 56° | 6.5 | 56° | 62° | $182 | $347 |
| Jun | 79° | 62° | 7.6 | 64° | 70° | $96 | $199 |
| Jul | 88° | 69° | 8.0 | 71° | 77° | $27 | $63 |
| Aug | 87° | 68° | 6.9 | 73° | 79° | $10 | $23 |
| Sep | 81° | 62° | 5.3 | 68° | 74° | $60 | $125 |
| Oct | 68° | 52° | 3.5 | 58° | 64° | – | – |
| Nov | 54° | 43° | 2.0 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| Dec | 47° | 38° | 1.4 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $182 with a heat pump, $347 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 8.0 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 37.9 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Ashland compares with nearby cities
Ashland ranks 16 of 57 Oregon cities for unheated swim months; Medford, Central Point, Shasta Lake nearby get a longer season without a heater.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medford, OR | 13 mi | 1 | 6 | $305 |
| Central Point, OR | 17 mi | 1 | 6 | $305 |
| Grants Pass, OR | 36 mi | 0 | 5 | $217 |
| Klamath Falls, OR | 47 mi | 0 | 4 | $316 |
| Roseburg, OR | 79 mi | 0 | 5 | $262 |
| Shasta Lake, CA | 106 mi | 3 | 6 | $159 |