Pool swim season in Burlington, WI
Swim season in Burlington without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Burlington never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 72°F in Aug. The air allows up to 4 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Sep).
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What each heater buys you in Burlington
| 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 | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $251 | $801 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $282 | $707 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at WI prices of 19.1¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Burlington
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 4 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $71 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 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: Burlington Water Treatment Plant, 1.9 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Burlington 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 | 28° | 20° | 1.7 | 21° | 27° | – | – |
| Feb | 31° | 23° | 2.6 | 21° | 27° | – | – |
| Mar | 43° | 33° | 3.6 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
| Apr | 56° | 45° | 4.7 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| May | 67° | 56° | 5.5 | 53° | 59° | – | – |
| Jun | 77° | 66° | 6.1 | 64° | 70° | $110 | $125 |
| Jul | 81° | 70° | 6.2 | 71° | 77° | $28 | $34 |
| Aug | 80° | 69° | 5.4 | 72° | 78° | $23 | $27 |
| Sep | 73° | 61° | 4.4 | 66° | 72° | $90 | $96 |
| Oct | 60° | 49° | 2.8 | 55° | 61° | – | – |
| Nov | 45° | 36° | 1.9 | 42° | 48° | – | – |
| Dec | 33° | 25° | 1.4 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $110 with a heat pump, $125 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.2 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 27.0 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Burlington compares with nearby cities
Burlington ranks 75 of 98 Wisconsin cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Lakes, WI | 12 mi | 0 | 4 | $132 |
| Elkhorn, WI | 13 mi | 0 | 4 | $171 |
| Muskego, WI | 15 mi | 0 | 4 | $190 |
| Antioch, IL | 17 mi | 0 | 4 | $134 |
| Fox Lake, IL | 18 mi | 0 | 4 | $134 |
| Franklin, WI | 20 mi | 0 | 4 | $190 |