Pool swim season in Northglenn, CO
Swim season in Northglenn without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Northglenn 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 Northglenn
| 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 | $254 | $804 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $323 | $748 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at CO prices of 16.8¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Northglenn
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 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: Northglenn, 1.9 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Northglenn 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 | 48° | 34° | 2.6 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Feb | 50° | 35° | 3.5 | 35° | 41° | – | – |
| Mar | 58° | 43° | 4.7 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| Apr | 64° | 50° | 5.8 | 49° | 55° | – | – |
| May | 72° | 58° | 6.5 | 57° | 63° | $176 | $215 |
| Jun | 85° | 69° | 7.2 | 68° | 74° | $54 | $76 |
| Jul | 91° | 75° | 7.0 | 76° | 82° | – | – |
| Aug | 89° | 73° | 6.3 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Sep | 82° | 65° | 5.4 | 72° | 78° | $24 | $32 |
| Oct | 67° | 52° | 4.0 | 60° | 66° | – | – |
| Nov | 56° | 41° | 2.9 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| Dec | 48° | 33° | 2.3 | 37° | 43° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $176 with a heat pump, $215 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.2 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 61.6 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Northglenn compares with nearby cities
Northglenn ranks 8 of 53 Colorado cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornton, CO | 2 mi | 0 | 5 | $254 |
| Federal Heights, CO | 4 mi | 0 | 5 | $260 |
| Broomfield, CO | 5 mi | 0 | 5 | $260 |
| Westminster, CO | 5 mi | 0 | 5 | $260 |
| Lafayette, CO | 8 mi | 0 | 5 | $260 |
| Erie, CO | 9 mi | 0 | 5 | $328 |