Pool swim season in Shakopee, MN
Shakopee, MN: how long the pool season really is
An unheated pool in Shakopee never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 75°F in Jul. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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What each heater buys you in Shakopee
| 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 | $296 | $846 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $382 | $807 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at MN prices of 16.4¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Shakopee
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: Minneapolis Flying Cloud Airport, 4.2 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Shakopee 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 | 24° | 16° | 1.8 | 18° | 24° | – | – |
| Feb | 29° | 20° | 3.0 | 18° | 24° | – | – |
| Mar | 42° | 33° | 3.7 | 27° | 33° | – | – |
| Apr | 57° | 47° | 4.7 | 42° | 48° | – | – |
| May | 70° | 60° | 5.4 | 56° | 62° | $186 | $231 |
| Jun | 79° | 69° | 6.0 | 68° | 74° | $58 | $82 |
| Jul | 84° | 74° | 6.4 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Aug | 81° | 71° | 5.4 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Sep | 74° | 64° | 4.2 | 69° | 75° | $52 | $69 |
| Oct | 59° | 50° | 2.7 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Nov | 43° | 35° | 1.8 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| Dec | 29° | 22° | 1.3 | 26° | 32° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $186 with a heat pump, $231 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.4 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 30.3 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Shakopee compares with nearby cities
Shakopee ranks 8 of 103 Minnesota cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prior Lake, MN | 4 mi | 0 | 5 | $296 |
| Eden Prairie, MN | 5 mi | 0 | 5 | $296 |
| Savage, MN | 6 mi | 0 | 5 | $296 |
| Chanhassen, MN | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $173 |
| Chaska, MN | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $189 |
| Bloomington, MN | 9 mi | 0 | 4 | $107 |