Pool swim season in Cody, WY
Swim season in Cody without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Cody never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 73°F in Aug. The air allows up to 4 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Sep).
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
What each heater buys you in Cody
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 1 | Aug | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $212 | $762 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $347 | $772 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at WY prices of 14.0¢/kWh electricity and $12/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Cody
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.
Before you pay for any heater, buy a solar cover: on its own it adds 1 month here for about $50 a year (why a cover comes first). 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: Cody, 3 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Cody 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 | 38° | 28° | 2.0 | 26° | 32° | – | – |
| Feb | 39° | 29° | 3.0 | 28° | 34° | – | – |
| Mar | 49° | 38° | 4.2 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
| Apr | 55° | 44° | 5.2 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| May | 64° | 53° | 5.7 | 51° | 57° | – | – |
| Jun | 75° | 62° | 6.7 | 62° | 68° | $105 | $171 |
| Jul | 84° | 71° | 7.0 | 71° | 77° | $26 | $47 |
| Aug | 82° | 69° | 5.9 | 73° | 79° | $11 | $19 |
| Sep | 72° | 60° | 4.6 | 66° | 72° | $70 | $110 |
| Oct | 58° | 47° | 3.0 | 53° | 59° | – | – |
| Nov | 45° | 35° | 2.0 | 40° | 46° | – | – |
| Dec | 37° | 27° | 1.6 | 30° | 36° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $105 with a heat pump, $171 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 7.0 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 35.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Cody compares with nearby cities
Cody ranks 5 of 11 Wyoming cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, MT | 91 mi | 0 | 4 | $142 |
| Sheridan, WY | 105 mi | 0 | 4 | $216 |
| Riverton, WY | 109 mi | 0 | 4 | $182 |
| Jackson, WY | 112 mi | 0 | 2 | $208 |
| Bozeman, MT | 126 mi | 0 | 4 | $336 |
| Belgrade, MT | 135 mi | 0 | 4 | $329 |