Pool swim season in Boulder City, NV
Swim season in Boulder City without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Boulder City reaches 78°F in May to Oct, about 6 months a year. The air allows up to 8 swimmable months with a heater (Mar to Oct).
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What each heater buys you in Boulder City
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 6 | May to Oct | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 6 | May to Oct | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 7 | Apr to Oct | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 8 | Mar to Oct | $133 | $683 |
| Gas heater + cover | 8 | Mar to Oct | $258 | $683 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at NV prices of 13.4¢/kWh electricity and $13/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Boulder City
Solar panels + cover: 7 of 8 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $283 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: Alan Bible Visitor Center, 13.2 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Boulder City 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 | 60° | 50° | 3.2 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| Feb | 64° | 55° | 4.2 | 54° | 60° | – | – |
| Mar | 73° | 62° | 5.7 | 61° | 67° | $104 | $197 |
| Apr | 81° | 70° | 7.1 | 70° | 76° | $29 | $61 |
| May | 91° | 79° | 8.0 | 79° | 85° | – | – |
| Jun | 103° | 90° | 8.6 | 90° | 96° | – | – |
| Jul | 107° | 96° | 7.6 | 98° | 104° | – | – |
| Aug | 105° | 93° | 7.1 | 99° | 105° | – | – |
| Sep | 98° | 85° | 6.2 | 93° | 99° | – | – |
| Oct | 84° | 72° | 4.8 | 80° | 86° | – | – |
| Nov | 69° | 59° | 3.6 | 66° | 72° | – | – |
| Dec | 60° | 50° | 2.8 | 54° | 60° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Mar (about $104 with a heat pump, $197 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 8.6 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 53.3 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Boulder City compares with nearby cities
Boulder City ranks 1 of 10 Nevada cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson, NV | 13 mi | 5 | 8 | $161 |
| North Las Vegas, NV | 32 mi | 5 | 8 | $162 |
| Las Vegas, NV | 33 mi | 4 | 8 | $183 |
| Bullhead City, AZ | 53 mi | 6 | 9 | $144 |
| Kingman, AZ | 67 mi | 4 | 7 | $200 |
| Mesquite, NV | 80 mi | 4 | 8 | $253 |