Pool swim season in Ithaca, NY
Swim season in Ithaca without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Ithaca never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 70°F in Aug. The air allows up to 4 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Sep).
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What each heater buys you in Ithaca
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 0 | no month | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 3 | Jun to Aug | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $482 | $1,032 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $573 | $998 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at NY prices of 29.3¢/kWh electricity and $18/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Ithaca
Solar panels + cover: 3 of 4 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $94 for each month it adds.
A solar cover alone adds no swim months here, so if you want a longer season you need a heater (why); still use one at night to hold the heat you pay for. 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: Ithaca Cornell Univ, 2.8 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Ithaca 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 | 31° | 23° | 1.4 | 24° | 30° | – | – |
| Feb | 33° | 24° | 2.2 | 23° | 29° | – | – |
| Mar | 41° | 31° | 3.3 | 28° | 34° | – | – |
| Apr | 55° | 44° | 4.5 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
| May | 67° | 56° | 5.4 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
| Jun | 76° | 65° | 5.8 | 63° | 69° | $188 | $225 |
| Jul | 80° | 69° | 5.9 | 70° | 76° | $70 | $88 |
| Aug | 79° | 67° | 5.2 | 70° | 76° | $60 | $75 |
| Sep | 72° | 60° | 4.1 | 65° | 71° | $164 | $185 |
| Oct | 59° | 49° | 2.6 | 54° | 60° | – | – |
| Nov | 47° | 39° | 1.7 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| Dec | 36° | 29° | 1.1 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $188 with a heat pump, $225 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 5.9 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 6.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Ithaca compares with nearby cities
Ithaca ranks 84 of 90 New York cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortland, NY | 20 mi | 0 | 4 | $540 |
| Elmira, NY | 29 mi | 0 | 5 | $705 |
| Endicott, NY | 33 mi | 0 | 5 | $768 |
| Auburn, NY | 34 mi | 0 | 4 | $363 |
| Corning, NY | 35 mi | 0 | 4 | $609 |
| Johnson City, NY | 35 mi | 0 | 3 | $318 |