Pool swim season in Greeley, CO
Swim season in Greeley without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Greeley 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).
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
What each heater buys you in Greeley
| 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 | $232 | $782 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $299 | $724 |
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 Greeley
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: Greeley Unc, 3.9 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Greeley 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 | 44° | 31° | 2.4 | 30° | 36° | – | – |
| Feb | 48° | 34° | 3.3 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Mar | 59° | 44° | 4.6 | 40° | 46° | – | – |
| Apr | 66° | 51° | 5.6 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| May | 75° | 60° | 6.3 | 59° | 65° | $162 | $201 |
| Jun | 86° | 70° | 7.3 | 69° | 75° | $46 | $66 |
| Jul | 92° | 76° | 7.0 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Aug | 89° | 73° | 6.2 | 78° | 84° | – | – |
| Sep | 82° | 65° | 5.2 | 72° | 78° | $24 | $32 |
| Oct | 68° | 52° | 3.7 | 60° | 66° | – | – |
| Nov | 54° | 40° | 2.7 | 46° | 52° | – | – |
| Dec | 43° | 31° | 2.1 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $162 with a heat pump, $201 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.3 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 24.8 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Greeley compares with nearby cities
Greeley ranks 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evans, CO | 5 mi | 0 | 5 | $232 |
| Severance, CO | 8 mi | 0 | 4 | $138 |
| Windsor, CO | 9 mi | 0 | 4 | $138 |
| Johnstown, CO | 10 mi | 0 | 5 | $377 |
| Timnath, CO | 13 mi | 0 | 4 | $138 |
| Berthoud, CO | 14 mi | 0 | 5 | $318 |