Pool swim season in Glenwood Springs, CO
Swim season in Glenwood Springs without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Glenwood Springs never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 73°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 Glenwood Springs
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 1 | Aug | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $416 | $966 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $511 | $936 |
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 Glenwood Springs
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 1 month 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: Glenwood Spgs #2, 0.6 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Glenwood Springs 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 | 36° | 24° | 2.5 | 25° | 31° | – | – |
| Feb | 42° | 30° | 3.4 | 28° | 34° | – | – |
| Mar | 53° | 40° | 4.9 | 37° | 43° | – | – |
| Apr | 60° | 46° | 5.7 | 46° | 52° | – | – |
| May | 71° | 55° | 6.5 | 54° | 60° | $224 | $259 |
| Jun | 82° | 64° | 7.7 | 64° | 70° | $94 | $124 |
| Jul | 89° | 71° | 7.0 | 72° | 78° | $21 | $30 |
| Aug | 86° | 69° | 6.1 | 73° | 79° | $8 | $11 |
| Sep | 78° | 61° | 5.3 | 67° | 73° | $69 | $87 |
| Oct | 65° | 49° | 3.8 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Nov | 49° | 36° | 2.7 | 42° | 48° | – | – |
| Dec | 36° | 26° | 2.1 | 30° | 36° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $224 with a heat pump, $259 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.7 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 14.5 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Glenwood Springs compares with nearby cities
Glenwood Springs ranks 49 of 53 Colorado cities for unheated swim months; Grand Junction, Fruita nearby get a longer season without a heater.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle, CO | 23 mi | 0 | 5 | $470 |
| Steamboat Springs, CO | 70 mi | 0 | 4 | $479 |
| Grand Junction, CO | 73 mi | 2 | 5 | $115 |
| Fruita, CO | 79 mi | 2 | 5 | $175 |
| Montrose, CO | 79 mi | 0 | 5 | $237 |
| Golden, CO | 114 mi | 0 | 4 | $142 |