Pool swim season in Mountain Home, ID
Swim season in Mountain Home without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Mountain Home reaches 78°F in Aug, about 1 month a year. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Heater options for a Mountain Home pool, side by side
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 1 | Aug | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 3 | Jul to Sep | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $186 | $736 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $211 | $636 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at ID prices of 13.0¢/kWh electricity and $8/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Mountain Home
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 5 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $94 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 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: Mountain Home, 0.8 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Mountain Home 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 | 40° | 32° | 1.8 | 30° | 36° | – | – |
| Feb | 47° | 36° | 2.8 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
| Mar | 56° | 43° | 3.9 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| Apr | 63° | 49° | 5.4 | 49° | 55° | – | – |
| May | 74° | 59° | 6.6 | 58° | 64° | $132 | $144 |
| Jun | 84° | 68° | 7.6 | 68° | 74° | $42 | $52 |
| Jul | 95° | 77° | 7.8 | 78° | 84° | – | – |
| Aug | 93° | 75° | 6.7 | 80° | 86° | – | – |
| Sep | 82° | 65° | 5.2 | 72° | 78° | $12 | $15 |
| Oct | 67° | 52° | 3.5 | 59° | 65° | – | – |
| Nov | 50° | 39° | 2.1 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| Dec | 39° | 31° | 1.5 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $132 with a heat pump, $144 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 7.8 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 44.0 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Mountain Home compares with nearby cities
Mountain Home ranks 4 of 26 Idaho cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise City, ID | 42 mi | 1 | 5 | $167 |
| Kuna, ID | 45 mi | 1 | 5 | $167 |
| Garden City, ID | 48 mi | 0 | 4 | $126 |
| Meridian, ID | 48 mi | 1 | 5 | $167 |
| Eagle, ID | 53 mi | 1 | 5 | $200 |
| Nampa, ID | 54 mi | 1 | 5 | $200 |