Pool swim season in Brandon, SD
Swim season in Brandon without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Brandon never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 76°F in Jul. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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Heater options for a Brandon pool, side by side
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 2 | Jul to Aug | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $255 | $805 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $332 | $757 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at SD prices of 14.6¢/kWh electricity and $10/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Brandon
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 2 months here for about $50 a year (why a cover comes first). If you get quotes, ask for gas as well as a heat pump: once the purchase price is counted, gas comes out cheaper all-in here (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Sioux Falls, 7.3 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Brandon 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 | 27° | 18° | 2.0 | 19° | 25° | – | – |
| Feb | 32° | 22° | 3.1 | 20° | 26° | – | – |
| Mar | 45° | 35° | 3.9 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
| Apr | 59° | 47° | 5.0 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| May | 71° | 59° | 5.6 | 56° | 62° | $167 | $208 |
| Jun | 81° | 70° | 6.4 | 68° | 74° | $48 | $70 |
| Jul | 85° | 74° | 6.7 | 76° | 82° | – | – |
| Aug | 83° | 72° | 5.5 | 76° | 82° | – | – |
| Sep | 76° | 64° | 4.4 | 69° | 75° | $40 | $54 |
| Oct | 61° | 50° | 3.0 | 57° | 63° | – | – |
| Nov | 45° | 35° | 2.1 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| Dec | 32° | 23° | 1.6 | 27° | 33° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $167 with a heat pump, $208 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.7 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 12.3 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Brandon compares with nearby cities
Brandon ranks 6 of 14 South Dakota cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls, SD | 8 mi | 0 | 4 | $93 |
| Harrisburg, SD | 13 mi | 0 | 4 | $119 |
| Worthington, MN | 49 mi | 0 | 4 | $174 |
| Brookings, SD | 50 mi | 0 | 4 | $183 |
| Vermillion, SD | 59 mi | 0 | 5 | $222 |
| Le Mars, IA | 60 mi | 0 | 5 | $263 |