Pool swim season in Florence, KY
Swim season in Florence without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Florence never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 78°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 Florence
| 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 | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $126 | $676 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $257 | $682 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at KY prices of 14.2¢/kWh electricity and $14/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Florence
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 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: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky I, 3.8 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Florence 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 | 40° | 31° | 1.9 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
| Feb | 44° | 35° | 2.6 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Mar | 54° | 44° | 3.7 | 40° | 46° | – | – |
| Apr | 66° | 55° | 5.0 | 51° | 57° | – | – |
| May | 75° | 64° | 5.5 | 62° | 68° | $100 | $200 |
| Jun | 83° | 72° | 6.3 | 72° | 78° | $19 | $42 |
| Jul | 86° | 76° | 6.0 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Aug | 85° | 75° | 5.6 | 78° | 84° | – | – |
| Sep | 79° | 68° | 4.6 | 73° | 79° | $7 | $15 |
| Oct | 67° | 56° | 3.3 | 63° | 69° | – | – |
| Nov | 54° | 44° | 2.3 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| Dec | 43° | 36° | 1.7 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $100 with a heat pump, $200 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 6.3 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 56.3 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Florence compares with nearby cities
Florence ranks 26 of 42 Kentucky cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erlanger, KY | 4 mi | 0 | 5 | $127 |
| Independence, KY | 6 mi | 0 | 5 | $126 |
| Covington, KY | 7 mi | 0 | 5 | $131 |
| Newport, KY | 11 mi | 0 | 5 | $131 |
| Fort Thomas, KY | 12 mi | 0 | 5 | $131 |
| Cincinnati, OH | 13 mi | 0 | 5 | $174 |