Pool swim season in Hugo, MN
Swim season in Hugo without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Hugo never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 72°F in Aug. The air allows up to 4 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Sep).
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Heater options for a Hugo pool, side by side
| 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 | 4 | Jun to Sep | $200 | $750 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $267 | $692 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at MN prices of 16.4¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Hugo
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 4 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: Stillwater 2SW, 9.7 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Hugo 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 | 22° | 14° | 1.8 | 16° | 22° | – | – |
| Feb | 28° | 18° | 2.9 | 16° | 22° | – | – |
| Mar | 41° | 30° | 3.9 | 25° | 31° | – | – |
| Apr | 55° | 45° | 4.7 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
| May | 67° | 57° | 5.4 | 53° | 59° | – | – |
| Jun | 76° | 67° | 6.0 | 65° | 71° | $85 | $116 |
| Jul | 79° | 71° | 6.3 | 72° | 78° | $18 | $26 |
| Aug | 78° | 69° | 5.2 | 72° | 78° | $16 | $23 |
| Sep | 71° | 61° | 4.0 | 66° | 72° | $81 | $102 |
| Oct | 58° | 48° | 2.6 | 54° | 60° | – | – |
| Nov | 41° | 33° | 1.6 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
| Dec | 28° | 20° | 1.2 | 25° | 31° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $85 with a heat pump, $116 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.3 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 51.8 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Hugo compares with nearby cities
Hugo ranks 80 of 103 Minnesota cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Lake, MN | 6 mi | 0 | 4 | $165 |
| Lino Lakes, MN | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $109 |
| White Bear Lake, MN | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $109 |
| Vadnais Heights, MN | 9 mi | 0 | 4 | $109 |
| Stillwater, MN | 10 mi | 0 | 4 | $200 |
| Shoreview, MN | 10 mi | 0 | 4 | $109 |