Virginia has about 136,000 residential pools, one for every 63 residents. Here is what running one costs at Virginia's electricity price, and the calculators to keep yours clear.
Electricity in Virginia averages 17.64 cents per kWh, above the median state's 16.32 cents. For a typical 20,000-gallon pool turned over in 8 hours a day:
| Pump | Per month | Per year, if run year-round |
|---|---|---|
| Single-speed, 1.7 kW, 8 h a day | $72.93 | $875 |
| Variable-speed at half speed, 16 h a day | $18.23 | $219 |
Switching saves about $54.70 a month in Virginia. Run your own pump and pool size in the pool pump calculator, already set to Virginia's price.
A covered spa whose 4 kW heater runs about 2 hours a day, with a 300 W pump on for 12 hours, uses about 353 kWh a month: $62.21 a month at Virginia prices.
Heater time is the big variable: a cold winter or a waterlogged cover can double it. Enter your own numbers in the hot tub electricity cost calculator.
Wherever you swim, clear water comes down to a few numbers: free chlorine at 7.5% of your stabilizer or more, pH between 7.2 and 7.8, and enough pump time to filter all the water every day. Sunny, hot weeks use chlorine fastest, so test more often then.
About 136,000 residential pools, one for every 63 residents. That ranks Virginia 18th of 50 states for the number of pools and 31st for pools per person.
At Virginia's average residential electricity price of 17.64 cents per kWh, a 1.7 kW single-speed pump running 8 hours a day costs about $72.93 a month. A variable-speed pump moving the same water at half speed costs about $18.23.
About $62.21 a month for a spa whose 4 kW heater runs 2 hours a day and whose 300 W pump runs 12 hours, at 17.64 cents per kWh. Your heater time depends on weather and your cover.
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Pool Salt Cell Guide: How It Works, Cleaning and Low Salt ReadingsHow a pool salt cell makes chlorine, how to clean it, how long it lasts, and why it reads 'low salt' when the water isn't. A practical guide for salt pool owners.Sources: pool counts from RubyHome, Swimming Pool Statistics (2026); electricity prices from US EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, residential price, August 2026. Costs are estimates for the setups described.