Pool swim season in Fort Collins, CO
Fort Collins, CO: how long the pool season really is
An unheated pool in Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins
| 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 | $318 | $868 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $399 | $824 |
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 Fort Collins
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: Ft Collins, 2.2 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Fort Collins 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° | 2.5 | 31° | 37° | – | – |
| Feb | 47° | 34° | 3.5 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Mar | 56° | 42° | 4.7 | 40° | 46° | – | – |
| Apr | 63° | 49° | 5.4 | 48° | 54° | – | – |
| May | 71° | 58° | 6.0 | 56° | 62° | $192 | $230 |
| Jun | 82° | 67° | 7.0 | 66° | 72° | $71 | $98 |
| Jul | 87° | 73° | 6.6 | 74° | 80° | $2 | $3 |
| Aug | 85° | 71° | 5.8 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Sep | 77° | 63° | 5.0 | 69° | 75° | $53 | $68 |
| Oct | 64° | 50° | 3.7 | 57° | 63° | – | – |
| Nov | 53° | 39° | 2.6 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| Dec | 44° | 31° | 2.1 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $192 with a heat pump, $230 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.0 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 37.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Fort Collins compares with nearby cities
Fort Collins ranks 29 of 53 Colorado cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timnath, CO | 5 mi | 0 | 4 | $138 |
| Loveland, CO | 9 mi | 0 | 5 | $393 |
| Windsor, CO | 9 mi | 0 | 4 | $138 |
| Wellington, CO | 11 mi | 0 | 4 | $146 |
| Severance, CO | 11 mi | 0 | 4 | $138 |
| Greeley, CO | 18 mi | 0 | 5 | $232 |