Pool swim season in Milford, CT
Swim season in Milford without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Milford never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 77°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 Milford
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 3 | Jul to Sep | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $119 | $669 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $155 | $580 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at CT prices of 27.5¢/kWh electricity and $17/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Milford
Solar cover only: 3 of 4 possible months for about $50 a year all-in, which works out near $17 for each month it adds.
Before you pay for any heater, buy a solar cover: on its own it adds 3 months 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: Igor I Sikorsky Mem Airport, 5.2 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Milford 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° | 31° | 1.8 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Feb | 41° | 33° | 2.7 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
| Mar | 47° | 40° | 3.7 | 37° | 43° | – | – |
| Apr | 58° | 50° | 4.8 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| May | 68° | 60° | 5.4 | 57° | 63° | – | – |
| Jun | 78° | 70° | 5.9 | 68° | 74° | $94 | $123 |
| Jul | 83° | 76° | 6.0 | 76° | 82° | – | – |
| Aug | 82° | 75° | 5.3 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Sep | 75° | 68° | 4.3 | 72° | 78° | $25 | $32 |
| Oct | 64° | 56° | 2.9 | 62° | 68° | – | – |
| Nov | 54° | 46° | 2.0 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| Dec | 44° | 37° | 1.5 | 40° | 46° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $94 with a heat pump, $123 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.0 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 47.6 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Milford compares with nearby cities
Milford ranks 2 of 21 Connecticut cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Haven, CT | 6 mi | 0 | 4 | $172 |
| Shelton, CT | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $210 |
| Derby, CT | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $210 |
| Bridgeport, CT | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $119 |
| Ansonia, CT | 8 mi | 0 | 4 | $210 |
| New Haven, CT | 9 mi | 0 | 4 | $172 |