Pool swim season in Bellingham, WA
Bellingham, WA: how long the pool season really is
An unheated pool in Bellingham never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 67°F in Aug. The air allows up to 2 swimmable months with a heater (Jul to Aug).
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Heater options for a Bellingham pool, side by side
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 0 | no month | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 2 | Jul to Aug | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 2 | Jul to Aug | $129 | $679 |
| Gas heater + cover | 2 | Jul to Aug | $313 | $738 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at WA prices of 14.4¢/kWh electricity and $18/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Bellingham
Solar panels + cover: 2 of 2 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $142 for each month it adds.
A solar cover alone adds no swim months here, so if you want a longer season you need a heater (why); still use one at night to hold the heat you pay for. 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: Bellingham 3 SSW, 3.1 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Bellingham 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 | 48° | 41° | 1.0 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
| Feb | 50° | 42° | 1.9 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| Mar | 54° | 46° | 2.9 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| Apr | 59° | 51° | 4.3 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| May | 66° | 56° | 5.5 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Jun | 70° | 60° | 6.0 | 61° | 67° | – | – |
| Jul | 75° | 64° | 6.5 | 66° | 72° | $68 | $166 |
| Aug | 75° | 64° | 5.5 | 67° | 73° | $61 | $147 |
| Sep | 69° | 59° | 3.9 | 63° | 69° | – | – |
| Oct | 60° | 52° | 2.2 | 55° | 61° | – | – |
| Nov | 52° | 46° | 1.1 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| Dec | 47° | 41° | 0.8 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jul (about $68 with a heat pump, $166 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.5 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 28.3 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Bellingham compares with nearby cities
Bellingham ranks 67 of 91 Washington cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferndale, WA | 9 mi | 0 | 2 | $137 |
| Lynden, WA | 14 mi | 0 | 4 | $373 |
| Anacortes, WA | 20 mi | 0 | 3 | $215 |
| Sedro-Woolley, WA | 20 mi | 0 | 2 | $138 |
| Burlington, WA | 21 mi | 0 | 2 | $141 |
| Mount Vernon, WA | 24 mi | 0 | 2 | $141 |