Pool swim season in Laconia, NH
Laconia, NH: how long the pool season really is
An unheated pool in Laconia never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 73°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 Laconia 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 | $323 | $873 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $450 | $875 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at NH prices of 26.9¢/kWh electricity and $19/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Laconia
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 a heat pump sized to your pool's surface area; here it beats gas all-in (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Lakeport 2, 2.1 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Laconia 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 | 30° | 21° | 1.7 | 23° | 29° | – | – |
| Feb | 34° | 23° | 2.5 | 22° | 28° | – | – |
| Mar | 43° | 32° | 3.6 | 28° | 34° | – | – |
| Apr | 56° | 44° | 4.6 | 40° | 46° | – | – |
| May | 68° | 56° | 5.2 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
| Jun | 77° | 66° | 5.6 | 64° | 70° | $160 | $223 |
| Jul | 82° | 71° | 5.8 | 71° | 77° | $38 | $57 |
| Aug | 81° | 70° | 5.2 | 73° | 79° | $18 | $26 |
| Sep | 73° | 62° | 4.2 | 67° | 73° | $107 | $144 |
| Oct | 60° | 50° | 2.7 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Nov | 47° | 39° | 1.8 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| Dec | 36° | 28° | 1.3 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $160 with a heat pump, $223 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 5.8 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 8.6 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Laconia compares with nearby cities
Laconia ranks 2 of 11 New Hampshire cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord, NH | 24 mi | 0 | 4 | $334 |
| Rochester, NH | 32 mi | 0 | 4 | $347 |
| Somersworth, NH | 37 mi | 0 | 4 | $347 |
| Sanford, ME | 38 mi | 0 | 4 | $541 |
| Lebanon, NH | 39 mi | 0 | 4 | $383 |
| Dover, NH | 40 mi | 0 | 4 | $418 |