Pool swim season in Butler, PA
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Butler, PA?
An unheated pool in Butler never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 72°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 Butler
| 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 | 5 | May to Sep | $532 | $1,082 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $724 | $1,149 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at PA prices of 21.1¢/kWh electricity and $15/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Butler
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.
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: Butler 2 SW, 1.7 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Butler 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 | 34° | 26° | 1.6 | 27° | 33° | – | – |
| Feb | 37° | 28° | 2.3 | 26° | 32° | – | – |
| Mar | 46° | 36° | 3.4 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
| Apr | 60° | 47° | 4.6 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| May | 70° | 57° | 5.3 | 55° | 61° | $263 | $337 |
| Jun | 78° | 66° | 5.9 | 65° | 71° | $113 | $164 |
| Jul | 82° | 70° | 5.9 | 71° | 77° | $35 | $54 |
| Aug | 81° | 69° | 5.2 | 72° | 78° | $27 | $41 |
| Sep | 74° | 62° | 4.3 | 67° | 73° | $94 | $128 |
| Oct | 62° | 50° | 2.9 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Nov | 50° | 40° | 2.0 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| Dec | 39° | 31° | 1.3 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $263 with a heat pump, $337 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 5.9 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 52.3 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Butler compares with nearby cities
Butler ranks 61 of 68 Pennsylvania cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Kensington, PA | 21 mi | 0 | 5 | $324 |
| Lower Burrell, PA | 21 mi | 0 | 5 | $324 |
| Franklin Park, PA | 21 mi | 0 | 5 | $290 |
| New Castle, PA | 25 mi | 0 | 5 | $347 |
| Plum, PA | 26 mi | 0 | 5 | $362 |
| Wilkinsburg, PA | 29 mi | 0 | 5 | $301 |