Electricity bill $650/mo vs. generator?

Question

My electric bill is $650/mo with pool - EGAD! Even tho I run pool only 4-6 hrs a day. Would it be cheaper to run pool off a generator? What size generator do I need for 2 HP motor? Would a back-up generator be OK since it won't run 24/7??

Answer 1

What you wouldn't be paying in your electric bill, you'd be paying in gasoline costs to run the generator...and then some. That can't be all from your pool...I'd think that running air conditioning would be more responsible for your high bill.

Answer 2

How do you use electricity in your pool? To heat it, or to filter it, or both? Electric heat has to be one of the more inefficient ways to heat a swimming pool, I'd guess.

But a generator would cost you more in gas. I have a 5000 watt generator for backup when the power goes out. It powers most of the house, but not everything at once (ie, lights, fridge, well, furnace or AC, depending on the season) It takes 3-4 gallons of gas to run for most of a day. Depending on gas prices, that's 7 to 12 dollars a day. At that rate, my electric bill would be $210 to $360 a month.

My guess is that either you're heating the pool with electricity, or something else is running a lot more than you think. Do you have kids home when you're not around? Are they running the heat or AC? Do you have other major electricity using appliances? Was the bill anywhere near this before you got the pool? Something else is doing it - running a pump can't use that much power.

Answer 3

Sorry, but you will pay even more with your own generator. To run a 2 HP motor, you need about 2600 watts of power, plus a safety factor and enough to handle the surge needed when it first turns on. Looking at Kohler generators, a 5000 watt generator will take about .58 gallons of gasoline at 50% load, so your 4 hour run would take more than 2 gallons of gas.
That much electricity, at .20 per kwh, would cost you about $2, or less than half the cost of gas to run your own generator.
You would be better off getting a 2 hp gas engine and running the pump directly off that.
That $650 per month bill is wayyyyy outta line for just that 2hp pump. Running it at 6 hours per day at 2600 watts, times 30 days is about $100 per month. Where is the other $550 going?

Answer 4

I would check and see if you have other problems that cause your high electric bill such as a leaking hot water pipe. My bill went up way high one month and that was the problem. It may also be cheaper to keep the water hot in the pool rather than cut it on and off. I really dont think a generator is the answer.