ECO water treatment from Devin – Live project example – Save £15,000 a year running your pool!

Previous articles in this series have explored current standards and guidelines for sustainable pool water treatment. They’ve also shown how Devin Consulting’s ECO design approach can help meet—or even exceed—these targets. But what does this mean in reality, and what are the benefits for our clients?

To answer these questions, this article presents a case study from a recent ECO design project, for a traditional 6-lane, 25m pool.

This particular project was not entirely straightforward. The balance tank and plantroom locations had already been determined prior to Devin’s involvement, meaning they were not fully optimised. This highlights a key point: when sustainability is a priority, early specialist input is strongly recommended. In this case, these fixed locations placed greater emphasis on optimising the rest of the treatment system.

System analysis was undertaken using our in-house energy modelling software, which helped identify the key areas to focus on; this also included assessing the leading filtration technology options for suitability on this scheme. Look out for more information on filtration technology options in an upcoming article!

For this 25m pool, the total system head loss was calculated at just 6.8m. To put this into perspective, 18m is the typical operating head for a standard system. Over a year, this reduction can be quantified as:

• An energy saving of 60,000 kWh
• A cost saving of £15,000*

The chart below illustrates the estimated energy consumption of this system, compared to a standard system and one designed to meet the minimum Passive House standards.

So, what’s the catch? Inevitably, there is a cost uplift associated with the installation of such a system. Based on data seen by Devin to date, this is typically in the region of 10%. However, with the energy savings achieved, we estimate a payback period of around two years.

It’s also worth noting that in this instance, the design was slightly constrained by the pre-determined plantroom and balance tank locations. With earlier input, an even shorter payback period and even more significant cost savings than £15,000 per year could be achieved!

Contact us to start benefiting from such huge savings on your project!

Moving away from pools for the moment, our next article explores a different and often overlooked area of leisure design, heat experience cabins, and how Devin are working to improve their sustainability capability.

*Based on electrical costs of £0.25/kWh, and a pump efficiency of 75%.