Pool swim season in Santa Fe, NM
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Santa Fe, NM?
An unheated pool in Santa Fe never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 73°F in Aug. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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Heater options for a Santa Fe pool, side by side
| 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 | $300 | $850 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $366 | $791 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at NM prices of 15.3¢/kWh electricity and $10/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Santa Fe
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: Santa Fe 2, 3 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Santa Fe 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 | 43° | 30° | 3.3 | 31° | 37° | – | – |
| Feb | 48° | 35° | 4.2 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
| Mar | 57° | 42° | 5.5 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| Apr | 64° | 48° | 6.7 | 49° | 55° | – | – |
| May | 74° | 57° | 7.5 | 57° | 63° | $165 | $191 |
| Jun | 84° | 67° | 7.8 | 67° | 73° | $60 | $80 |
| Jul | 86° | 71° | 6.9 | 73° | 79° | $11 | $15 |
| Aug | 83° | 69° | 6.4 | 73° | 79° | $9 | $12 |
| Sep | 78° | 62° | 5.7 | 68° | 74° | $55 | $68 |
| Oct | 66° | 51° | 4.7 | 58° | 64° | – | – |
| Nov | 53° | 39° | 3.5 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| Dec | 43° | 30° | 2.9 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $165 with a heat pump, $191 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.8 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 47.1 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Santa Fe compares with nearby cities
Santa Fe ranks 18 of 19 New Mexico cities for unheated swim months; Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Los Lunas nearby get a longer season without a heater.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Española, NM | 24 mi | 0 | 6 | $368 |
| Las Vegas, NM | 43 mi | 0 | 5 | $391 |
| Rio Rancho, NM | 48 mi | 2 | 7 | $313 |
| Albuquerque, NM | 54 mi | 2 | 7 | $348 |
| Los Lunas, NM | 75 mi | 2 | 7 | $372 |
| Farmington, NM | 144 mi | 2 | 5 | $156 |