Pool swim season in Kingston, NY
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Kingston, NY?
An unheated pool in Kingston 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 Kingston
| 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 | $705 | $1,255 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $806 | $1,231 |
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 Kingston
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: Rhinebeck 4SE, 7.3 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Kingston 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 | 37° | 24° | 1.8 | 26° | 32° | – | – |
| Feb | 40° | 26° | 2.7 | 25° | 31° | – | – |
| Mar | 49° | 34° | 3.7 | 31° | 37° | – | – |
| Apr | 62° | 46° | 4.8 | 42° | 48° | – | – |
| May | 73° | 58° | 5.4 | 54° | 60° | $371 | $402 |
| Jun | 81° | 66° | 5.9 | 65° | 71° | $152 | $186 |
| Jul | 86° | 71° | 6.0 | 72° | 78° | $36 | $47 |
| Aug | 84° | 70° | 5.3 | 73° | 79° | $22 | $29 |
| Sep | 77° | 62° | 4.3 | 67° | 73° | $124 | $142 |
| Oct | 65° | 50° | 2.9 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Nov | 53° | 39° | 2.0 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| Dec | 42° | 30° | 1.5 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $371 with a heat pump, $402 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.0 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 63.1 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Kingston compares with nearby cities
Kingston ranks 64 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poughkeepsie, NY | 17 mi | 0 | 5 | $519 |
| Newburgh, NY | 30 mi | 0 | 5 | $553 |
| Beacon, NY | 30 mi | 0 | 5 | $418 |
| Middletown, NY | 40 mi | 0 | 5 | $578 |
| Kiryas Joel, NY | 42 mi | 0 | 5 | $423 |
| Woodbury, NY | 42 mi | 0 | 5 | $423 |