Pool swim season in Fairbanks, AK
Swim season in Fairbanks without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Fairbanks never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 63°F in Jul. The air allows up to 2 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Jul).
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
What each heater buys you in Fairbanks
| 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 | 0 | no month | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 2 | Jun to Jul | $453 | $1,003 |
| Gas heater + cover | 2 | Jun to Jul | $409 | $834 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at AK prices of 27.3¢/kWh electricity and $13/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Fairbanks
Gas heater + cover: 2 of 2 possible months for about $834 a year all-in, which works out near $417 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: Aurora, 2.4 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Fairbanks 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 | 0° | -7° | 0.2 | -8° | -2° | – | – |
| Feb | 13° | 2° | 0.9 | -5° | 1° | – | – |
| Mar | 27° | 13° | 2.6 | 7° | 13° | – | – |
| Apr | 47° | 34° | 4.4 | 25° | 31° | – | – |
| May | 63° | 50° | 5.2 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| Jun | 72° | 60° | 5.4 | 58° | 64° | $275 | $245 |
| Jul | 73° | 62° | 4.8 | 63° | 69° | $178 | $164 |
| Aug | 66° | 56° | 3.7 | 60° | 66° | – | – |
| Sep | 55° | 45° | 2.3 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| Oct | 34° | 26° | 1.0 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Nov | 12° | 4° | 0.3 | 12° | 18° | – | – |
| Dec | 3° | -4° | 0.1 | -3° | 3° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $275 with a heat pump, $245 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 5.4 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 38.1 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Fairbanks compares with nearby cities
Fairbanks ranks 1 of 4 Alaska cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasilla, AK | 232 mi | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Anchorage, AK | 258 mi | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Juneau, AK | 626 mi | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Lynden, WA | 1433 mi | 0 | 4 | $373 |
| Ferndale, WA | 1435 mi | 0 | 2 | $137 |
| Bellingham, WA | 1444 mi | 0 | 2 | $129 |