Pool swim season in Culver City, CA
Swim season in Culver City without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Culver City never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 75°F in Aug. The air allows up to 8 swimmable months with a heater (Apr to Nov).
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
What each heater buys you in Culver City
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 3 | Jul to Sep | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 7 | Apr to Oct | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 8 | Apr to Nov | $618 | $1,168 |
| Gas heater + cover | 8 | Apr to Nov | $817 | $1,242 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at CA prices of 32.6¢/kWh electricity and $22/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Culver City
Solar panels + cover: 7 of 8 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $40 for each month it adds.
Before you pay for any heater, buy a solar cover: on its own it adds 3 months 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: Culver City, 1 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Culver City 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 | 67° | 57° | 3.2 | 57° | 63° | – | – |
| Feb | 67° | 58° | 4.0 | 58° | 64° | – | – |
| Mar | 68° | 60° | 5.4 | 61° | 67° | – | – |
| Apr | 71° | 62° | 6.6 | 64° | 70° | $190 | $246 |
| May | 72° | 64° | 7.5 | 68° | 74° | $122 | $163 |
| Jun | 75° | 68° | 8.1 | 71° | 77° | $55 | $77 |
| Jul | 78° | 71° | 7.9 | 74° | 80° | – | $1 |
| Aug | 79° | 71° | 7.4 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Sep | 78° | 70° | 6.3 | 74° | 80° | – | – |
| Oct | 76° | 67° | 4.8 | 70° | 76° | $66 | $92 |
| Nov | 71° | 61° | 3.6 | 65° | 71° | $185 | $238 |
| Dec | 66° | 57° | 2.9 | 59° | 65° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Apr (about $190 with a heat pump, $246 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 8.1 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 55.8 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Culver City compares with nearby cities
Culver City ranks 240 of 376 California cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 1 mi | 0 | 8 | $618 |
| Inglewood, CA | 5 mi | 0 | 7 | $455 |
| Beverly Hills, CA | 5 mi | 0 | 7 | $440 |
| Santa Monica, CA | 6 mi | 0 | 1 | $93 |
| West Hollywood, CA | 6 mi | 0 | 7 | $440 |
| El Segundo, CA | 7 mi | 0 | 6 | $427 |