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Balancing environmental, economic and public health: The cost of swimming pool water circulation.

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Title: Balancing environmental, economic and public health: The cost of swimming pool water circulation.
Authors: Marjoribanks, Timothy I1 (AUTHOR) t.i.marjoribanks@lboro.ac.uk, Simmonds, Lester P2 (AUTHOR), Wood, Martin2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Building Services Engineering Research & Technology. Jul2025, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p529-544. 16p.
Subjects: Sustainability, Economic impact, Policy analysis, Swimming pools, Energy consumption, Ecological impact, Public health, Process optimization
Geographic Terms: England
Abstract: Swimming pools are critical public health infrastructure that provide benefits to diverse user groups. However, they are also energy-intensive and expensive to operate. Therefore, national policies regarding swimming pool circulation requirements need to balance these factors to ensure multi-dimensional sustainability. We develop a methodology to gather quantitative information to support industry-wide policy recommendations. We use openly-available data from 6433 non-domestic swimming pools in England to estimate national-scale energy use, cost and carbon footprint associated with swimming pool circulation. Our results show that total annual energy use for pool water circulation, assumed to be operating within national guidelines, is 369,000 MWh at a cost of £100M. A further 109,000 MWh (£6.33M) is associated with filter backwashing processes. The combined annual carbon footprint from energy and water use is 98,400 tCO2 e. We investigate three industry-recognised interventions to reduce energy use in pool water circulation, which would not typically compromise water quality or safety, and demonstrate these could reduce costs by up to 70%. Differences between national guidelines on pool circulation also suggest overly cautious requirements for certain pool types. The results demonstrate the substantial impact changes to policy guidelines could have on the financial and environmental sustainability of non-domestic swimming pools. Practical Application: This paper provides building services engineers with evidence of how operational interventions within swimming pool pumping systems can substantially reduce energy usage, running costs and emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
Description
Abstract:Swimming pools are critical public health infrastructure that provide benefits to diverse user groups. However, they are also energy-intensive and expensive to operate. Therefore, national policies regarding swimming pool circulation requirements need to balance these factors to ensure multi-dimensional sustainability. We develop a methodology to gather quantitative information to support industry-wide policy recommendations. We use openly-available data from 6433 non-domestic swimming pools in England to estimate national-scale energy use, cost and carbon footprint associated with swimming pool circulation. Our results show that total annual energy use for pool water circulation, assumed to be operating within national guidelines, is 369,000 MWh at a cost of £100M. A further 109,000 MWh (£6.33M) is associated with filter backwashing processes. The combined annual carbon footprint from energy and water use is 98,400 tCO2 e. We investigate three industry-recognised interventions to reduce energy use in pool water circulation, which would not typically compromise water quality or safety, and demonstrate these could reduce costs by up to 70%. Differences between national guidelines on pool circulation also suggest overly cautious requirements for certain pool types. The results demonstrate the substantial impact changes to policy guidelines could have on the financial and environmental sustainability of non-domestic swimming pools. Practical Application: This paper provides building services engineers with evidence of how operational interventions within swimming pool pumping systems can substantially reduce energy usage, running costs and emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:01436244
DOI:10.1177/01436244251339721