• Keep your pool/hot tubs/spas covered when not in use. Uncovered pools can lose 30% of their heat, over 10,000 litres of water and expensive chemicals monthly, just through evaporation.
• Consider a solar cover to heat the water's surface.
• Run your pool and spa pump only as needed. For pools run for just 12 hours overnight instead of around the clock to save electricity.
• Inspect the pool/hot tub/spa heater every year for scale, mineral deposits and corrosion.
• If your pool has a heater, use a timer to preset the hours the pool is to be heated.
• When closing a pool, drain water from the heater, filter, pump and piping system. Remove the pump motor and store in a dry place.

Electric-Heated Pools

• If your pool is above ground and heated with electricity install a heavy-duty timer to run your pump and heater for a 12 hour period overnight when demand for electricity is lower. For inground pools, have a qualified electrician install a hard-wired timer. This also applies for hot tubs/spas.
• When you install a timer to help ensure your safety, your pool must be plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet located a minimum of 3 metres (10 feet) from your pool.

Gas-Heated Pools

• If your pool is heated with gas, a heavy duty timer is not recommended. Please contact the Pool Council of Canada at (800) 879-7066. Since gas pool heaters reach a much higher temperature than electric ones, turning off the pump without any thought of the heater means the residual heat of a gas heater could damage some of the plastic pipes of fixtures. If you do have a gas heater, you need a timer sophisticated enough to be able to turn off the heater 20 minutes earlier than the pump – often known as the Fireman's Switch.
• Keep the pool's heating and cleaning equipment clean and lubricated.