Pool swim season in Cortland, NY
Cortland, NY: how long the pool season really is
An unheated pool in Cortland never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 70°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 Cortland
| 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 | 2 | Jul to Aug | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $540 | $1,090 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $636 | $1,061 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at NY prices of 29.3¢/kWh electricity and $18/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Cortland
Gas heater + cover: 4 of 4 possible months for about $1,061 a year all-in, which works out near $265 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: Freeville 1 NE, 9.8 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Cortland 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 | 30° | 21° | 1.4 | 23° | 29° | – | – |
| Feb | 33° | 22° | 2.2 | 21° | 27° | – | – |
| Mar | 40° | 30° | 3.3 | 27° | 33° | – | – |
| Apr | 53° | 43° | 4.5 | 38° | 44° | – | – |
| May | 66° | 55° | 5.4 | 51° | 57° | – | – |
| Jun | 75° | 64° | 5.8 | 62° | 68° | $204 | $241 |
| Jul | 79° | 68° | 5.9 | 69° | 75° | $82 | $103 |
| Aug | 78° | 66° | 5.2 | 70° | 76° | $73 | $90 |
| Sep | 71° | 60° | 4.1 | 64° | 70° | $181 | $202 |
| Oct | 58° | 48° | 2.6 | 53° | 59° | – | – |
| Nov | 46° | 38° | 1.7 | 42° | 48° | – | – |
| Dec | 35° | 28° | 1.1 | 31° | 37° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $204 with a heat pump, $241 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 5.9 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 28.6 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Cortland compares with nearby cities
Cortland ranks 87 of 90 New York cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca, NY | 20 mi | 0 | 4 | $482 |
| Auburn, NY | 30 mi | 0 | 4 | $363 |
| Syracuse, NY | 30 mi | 0 | 4 | $282 |
| Johnson City, NY | 35 mi | 0 | 3 | $318 |
| Endicott, NY | 35 mi | 0 | 5 | $768 |
| Binghamton, NY | 37 mi | 0 | 3 | $318 |