Pool swim season in Scotts Valley, CA
Swim season in Scotts Valley without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Scotts Valley never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 73°F in Aug. The air allows up to 9 swimmable months with a heater (Mar to Nov).
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Heater options for a Scotts Valley 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 | 6 | May to Oct | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 9 | Mar to Nov | $1,510 | $2,060 |
| Gas heater + cover | 9 | Mar to Nov | $1,891 | $2,316 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at CA prices of 32.6¢/kWh electricity and $22/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Scotts Valley
Heat pump + cover: 9 of 9 possible months for about $2,060 a year all-in, which works out near $229 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: Ben Lomond #4, 4.3 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Scotts Valley 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 | 65° | 51° | 2.5 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| Feb | 67° | 53° | 3.4 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
| Mar | 71° | 56° | 4.6 | 56° | 62° | $390 | $462 |
| Apr | 75° | 59° | 6.0 | 60° | 66° | $288 | $356 |
| May | 80° | 63° | 6.7 | 64° | 70° | $189 | $249 |
| Jun | 86° | 67° | 7.3 | 69° | 75° | $89 | $124 |
| Jul | 88° | 70° | 6.5 | 72° | 78° | $38 | $54 |
| Aug | 90° | 70° | 5.8 | 73° | 79° | $23 | $33 |
| Sep | 89° | 69° | 5.1 | 72° | 78° | $44 | $62 |
| Oct | 83° | 64° | 4.0 | 67° | 73° | $132 | $176 |
| Nov | 71° | 55° | 2.8 | 59° | 65° | $317 | $375 |
| Dec | 64° | 50° | 2.1 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Mar (about $390 with a heat pump, $462 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.3 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 65.6 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Scotts Valley compares with nearby cities
Scotts Valley ranks 300 of 376 California cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz, CA | 6 mi | 0 | 6 | $1,030 |
| Los Gatos, CA | 12 mi | 0 | 7 | $739 |
| Saratoga, CA | 15 mi | 0 | 7 | $846 |
| Campbell, CA | 16 mi | 0 | 7 | $739 |
| Watsonville, CA | 16 mi | 0 | 5 | $804 |
| Cupertino, CA | 18 mi | 0 | 6 | $651 |