Pool swim season in Colorado Springs, CO
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Colorado Springs, CO?
An unheated pool in Colorado Springs never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 75°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 Colorado Springs
| 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 | $315 | $865 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $394 | $819 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at CO prices of 16.8¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Colorado Springs
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: Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, 5.6 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Colorado Springs 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 | 45° | 32° | 2.7 | 31° | 37° | – | – |
| Feb | 47° | 33° | 3.6 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Mar | 55° | 41° | 5.0 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
| Apr | 61° | 48° | 6.1 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| May | 71° | 57° | 6.8 | 56° | 62° | $194 | $232 |
| Jun | 82° | 67° | 7.4 | 67° | 73° | $70 | $96 |
| Jul | 87° | 72° | 7.0 | 74° | 80° | $2 | $2 |
| Aug | 84° | 70° | 6.4 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Sep | 77° | 63° | 5.5 | 69° | 75° | $49 | $64 |
| Oct | 65° | 51° | 4.2 | 58° | 64° | – | – |
| Nov | 53° | 40° | 3.1 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| Dec | 45° | 32° | 2.4 | 35° | 41° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $194 with a heat pump, $232 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.4 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 46.7 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Colorado Springs compares with nearby cities
Colorado Springs ranks 28 of 53 Colorado cities for unheated swim months; Pueblo nearby gets a longer season without a heater.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain, CO | 13 mi | 0 | 5 | $315 |
| Monument, CO | 15 mi | 0 | 4 | $284 |
| Castle Rock, CO | 36 mi | 0 | 4 | $177 |
| Cañon City, CO | 38 mi | 0 | 5 | $273 |
| Castle Pines, CO | 42 mi | 0 | 4 | $177 |
| Pueblo, CO | 42 mi | 2 | 5 | $176 |