Swimming pools may not be the "greenest" of our creature comforts. And some people might argue that there is no such thing as a green swimming pool at all. But I'm not exactly an impartial judge on this one. See, it was my early experience as a lifeguard and swimming instructor when I was a teen that led to my first job after college building, fixing and repairing swimming pools and hot tubs in Colorado. That's right, I was the pool guy.

[Note: If you're conjuring up images of a job spent leisurely skimming pools (shirtless, of course) while lonely women wearing big hats and sipping ice cold drinks fawned over me, don't get the wrong idea. First of all, that doesn't really happen in real life. Second, this was Colorado, and this was a year-round gig. More often than not, my job involved wading or crawling through ice and snow in single-digit temperatures to repair plumbing leaks and pool and spa equipment -- jobs that would leave me feeling cold and wet and making my hands feeling like useless frozen stumps. This was gritty work.]

While my penchant for environmental politics and sustainability ultimately brought me back to grad school, I learned several tricks of the trade and a few upgrades that you can implement to use less water, consume less energy and require fewer harsh chemicals to keep your swimming pool an enjoyable place for you and your family and friends to enjoy.

1. Turn down, tune up or just turn off your heater.

Sure it was nice having 85° water for your annual Memorial Day barbecue and pool party, even though the only one swimming was that weird neighbor of yours who invites himself over every year and does lapsBut if you live in most parts of the country where you actually do close your pool over the winter, chances are you spent a lot of money heating it up to a comfortable temperature for your party.

According to the California Energy Commission, heating the average backyard pool requires the same amount of energy as it does to power a standard size home for three months.

2. Get a good cover -- and use it.

If you have a pool cover, use it. If you don't have one, get one. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) "covering a pool when it is not in use is the single most effective means of reducing pool heating costs." If you live in a dry climate, you know all to well that a good cover will also save you hundreds of dollars annually on your water bill.  Covers also help keep debris out of the pool, which ultimately makes the pump and filtration system run more efficiently, using less energy. Lastly, if you do use chlorine, a cover will keep UV rays from the sun from burning off the chlorine. A pool cover can help reduce a pool's chemical consumption by 35%-60%.

3. Use a time clock for your circulation pumps

The circulation pumps on most swimming pools and spas run more often than they need to. But on the flip side, you want to be sure that the water in your pool circulates often enough to stay clean. A good rule of thumb is that water in the pool should be filtered once every 24 hours. If your pump is properly sized to your pool, you should be able to shut it down for 8-12 hours every day. If your pool doesn't already have one, install a time clock so you can set your pool pump to avoid running during summer afternoons, when electricity demand is peaking (and prices are at their highest). Not only can a timer cut electricity costs associated with pool filtration by 40-50% (even more if used in conjunction with time-of-use metering), it can also extend the life of your pool pump.

4. Install a solar swimming pool heater or heat pump

Despite the popularity of solar photovoltaic panels, one of the cheapest and most efficient forms of converting solar rays into usable energy is via solar thermal systems. Installing a simple solar water heating system for your swimming pool is a great way to take advantage of your solar resource and cut down on your gas or electric bill. At a cost of roughly three to four thousand dollars, the initial investment for a solar pool heater isn't cheap, but the free energy plus not having to call the pool company every other year to fix or service the heater will pay off the investment in 1-7 years, depending on a number of factors.

Alternatively, you can install a heat pump swimming pool heater.  And while heat pumps are nowhere near as sexy as solar, they can help drastically reduce the need for your gas or electric heater.

5. Ditch the chlorine altogether with alternative sanitizers, ozone

If you're over the dry skin and disinfectant smell you have every time you get out of your pool, consider switching to non-chlorine pool sanitizers that are usually based on hydrogen peroxide or even oxygen. Non-chlorine options include hydrogen peroxide sanitation systems as well as oxygen-based sanitizers.  The added benefit of the oxygen-based shock, potassium monopersulfate, is that it is made with the carbon dioxide produced in natural gas production. The oxygen-based sanitizers act as a carbon sink, of sorts. Unfortunately, there is way more carbon dioxide produced by power plants and the fossil fuel industry than there will ever be a need for in oxygen-based sanitizers.
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