Pooling resources

Siemens has developed an energy-efficient automated swimming pool management system which it says could save operators around £17,000 to £20,000 per year.

The EWO Pool uses a new approach to optimise water and energy consumption by providing centralised coordination and control of all sub-processes in a pool.

Costs for heating, electricity, water supply and wastewater handling account for about 30 per cent of a pool’s operating costs. Overall costs can vary considerably, however, because they depend on the number of pools involved, the age of a pool, and the filtration and cleaning technology used.

Based on information from a survey of pool operators, Siemens determined which modernisation measures are appropriate for an individual operator. The components of EWO Pool focus on control systems, energy technology, membrane filtration and UV technology for disinfection.

The Depolox Pool subsystem controls the addition of disinfectants and flocculants in accordance with how dirty a pool basin has become. On this basis, the Econ Pool unit controls the output of the circulating pump, which continually replaces used water with fresh water. This involves the use of frequency converters that adapt the power output of a motor to the output actually needed, which can reduce energy consumption by as much as 50 per cent. In addition, the system can lower the output of the circulating pump at night if no one is using the pool and the water isn’t being dirtied to save further energy.