Pool swim season in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Wilkes-Barre, PA: how long the pool season really is
An unheated pool in Wilkes-Barre never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 75°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 Wilkes-Barre 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 | $340 | $890 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $475 | $900 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at PA prices of 21.1¢/kWh electricity and $15/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Wilkes-Barre
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 a heat pump sized to your pool's surface area; here it beats gas all-in (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, 10 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Wilkes-Barre 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 | 36° | 28° | 1.6 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
| Feb | 39° | 30° | 2.5 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
| Mar | 48° | 38° | 3.5 | 35° | 41° | – | – |
| Apr | 61° | 50° | 4.5 | 46° | 52° | – | – |
| May | 72° | 61° | 5.2 | 58° | 64° | $209 | $283 |
| Jun | 80° | 69° | 5.7 | 68° | 74° | $73 | $110 |
| Jul | 85° | 74° | 5.8 | 74° | 80° | – | – |
| Aug | 82° | 72° | 5.1 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Sep | 75° | 65° | 4.1 | 69° | 75° | $58 | $82 |
| Oct | 63° | 53° | 2.7 | 59° | 65° | – | – |
| Nov | 51° | 43° | 1.9 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| Dec | 40° | 33° | 1.3 | 36° | 42° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $209 with a heat pump, $283 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 5.8 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 42.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Wilkes-Barre compares with nearby cities
Wilkes-Barre ranks 44 of 68 Pennsylvania cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston, PA | 1 mi | 0 | 5 | $340 |
| Nanticoke, PA | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $375 |
| Scranton, PA | 15 mi | 0 | 5 | $340 |
| Dunmore, PA | 18 mi | 0 | 5 | $340 |
| Hazleton, PA | 21 mi | 0 | 4 | $278 |
| Berwick, PA | 24 mi | 0 | 4 | $312 |