Pool swim season in Newport, RI
Newport, RI: how long the pool season really is
An unheated pool in Newport never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 74°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 Newport 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 | $293 | $843 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $446 | $871 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at RI prices of 29.1¢/kWh electricity and $22/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Newport
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: Newport Rose, 2.3 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Newport 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 | 39° | 31° | 1.9 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Feb | 40° | 33° | 2.7 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
| Mar | 46° | 39° | 3.8 | 37° | 43° | – | – |
| Apr | 55° | 48° | 5.0 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| May | 65° | 57° | 5.6 | 55° | 61° | – | – |
| Jun | 72° | 65° | 6.1 | 64° | 70° | $172 | $257 |
| Jul | 77° | 71° | 6.2 | 71° | 77° | $48 | $77 |
| Aug | 78° | 71° | 5.5 | 74° | 80° | $8 | $13 |
| Sep | 73° | 66° | 4.5 | 70° | 76° | $65 | $99 |
| Oct | 63° | 56° | 3.0 | 61° | 67° | – | – |
| Nov | 53° | 46° | 2.1 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| Dec | 44° | 38° | 1.5 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $172 with a heat pump, $257 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.2 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 15.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Newport compares with nearby cities
Newport ranks 8 of 8 Rhode Island cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warwick, RI | 16 mi | 0 | 4 | $171 |
| Fall River, MA | 21 mi | 0 | 4 | $302 |
| Cranston, RI | 22 mi | 0 | 4 | $171 |
| East Providence, RI | 22 mi | 0 | 4 | $171 |
| New Bedford, MA | 23 mi | 0 | 4 | $310 |
| Providence, RI | 24 mi | 0 | 4 | $171 |