Pool swim season in Lexington, NE
Swim season in Lexington without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Lexington never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 77°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 Lexington
| 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 | $185 | $735 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $317 | $742 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at NE prices of 12.9¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Lexington
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 a heat pump sized to your pool's surface area; here it beats gas all-in (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Canaday Steam Plt, 6.2 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Lexington 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 | 38° | 27° | 2.3 | 27° | 33° | – | – |
| Feb | 41° | 30° | 3.1 | 28° | 34° | – | – |
| Mar | 53° | 40° | 4.3 | 36° | 42° | – | – |
| Apr | 62° | 49° | 5.4 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| May | 72° | 60° | 6.1 | 58° | 64° | $130 | $215 |
| Jun | 82° | 71° | 7.1 | 69° | 75° | $32 | $61 |
| Jul | 86° | 75° | 7.0 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Aug | 84° | 73° | 6.0 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Sep | 78° | 65° | 4.9 | 71° | 77° | $23 | $41 |
| Oct | 65° | 52° | 3.5 | 59° | 65° | – | – |
| Nov | 51° | 39° | 2.6 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| Dec | 40° | 29° | 2.0 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $130 with a heat pump, $215 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.1 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 37.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Lexington compares with nearby cities
Lexington ranks 12 of 16 Nebraska cities for unheated swim months; Hastings, Grand Island, Columbus nearby get a longer season without a heater.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kearney, NE | 35 mi | 0 | 5 | $197 |
| North Platte, NE | 58 mi | 0 | 5 | $210 |
| Hastings, NE | 72 mi | 2 | 5 | $145 |
| Grand Island, NE | 73 mi | 2 | 5 | $142 |
| Columbus, NE | 132 mi | 1 | 5 | $155 |
| Hays, KS | 133 mi | 2 | 6 | $209 |