Sustainability is a hot topic in home design, but this issue extends beyond just the house. Pool covers are a positive contributor to creating a sustainable, greener house. Unpacking the key sustainability factors that a pool cover can address – water, electricity and chemical usage – a pool cover becomes an obvious solution for local pools, according to PowerPlastics Pool Covers.

A cover eliminates 98% of water evaporation and, when water restrictions are applied, a pool can become an essential and single source of water for a South African household. The pool can be topped up sustainably by harvesting rainwater, and a cover can prevent an average pool from losing as much as 105 litres a day.

From an energy standpoint, covered pools need less filtration. The cover acts as a barrier to dirt and debris entering the water so filtration can decrease by as much as 50%. It also enhances chemical efficiency, reducing the chlorination needed to maintain water hygiene. Furthermore, with certain pool covers, for example the EnergyGuard GeoBubble cover, algae growth is curbed due to the cover’s ability to block the sunlight that feeds algae.

“Bottom line, if you have a pool, you need a pool cover,” says Roger Bester from PowerPlastics Pool Covers.

“Consider design trends over the years and how they have improved lifestyles. In the 60s, a home garage was considered far more desirable than just a carport or awning, as the space was used more practically and aesthetically. New technologies allowed electric gates to surpass manual gates. Likewise, today’s pools are enhanced by pool covers. And if a pool cover can exponentially reduce electricity consumption in a time when loadshedding has become part of daily life, what’s to lose by covering that pool?”

PowerPlastics Pool Covers has developed a range of pool covers to complement sustainable living. The GeoBubble range of thermal covers tick all the boxes in this regard. Where child and pet safety is a concern, the PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover offers similar savings as described above, with the added benefit of drowning prevention. It also complies with the SABS Safety Standard SANS 10134.

PowerPlastics Pool Covers has been covering pools for over 30 years. Using local insight and experience, they have designed a calculator that can demonstrate exactly how much one can save based on your pool size. Measured against the cost of the pool cover, pool owners can achieve a payback period of around 12-18 months. With a life expectancy of at least three years, the remaining period equates to savings in household expenditure! “We always welcome the opportunity to work with architects and design professionals. They have a clear understanding of a pool’s true environmental impact and can pass this on to pool owners. It is a critical discussion to have at a domestic level,” concludes Bester.