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Energy Saving Guide · Your pool

The hidden cost of your pool pump

By Masie Ralepelle · Published · Last reviewed · 4 min read

A pool pump and sand filter beside a sparkling swimming pool

It's out of sight behind the wall, humming away on a timer someone set years ago. Has anyone checked it since?

A pool pump is one of the biggest long-running loads in a house that has one. The cost is simple: pump power × hours a day. Eskom estimates that cutting just one hour of pump time a day saves about 274 kWh a year. At Tshwane's 2026/27 rates that's roughly R108–R117 a month, per hour cut. Clean water comes first, so cut hours carefully and keep the filter clean.

Every hour you trim from the pump timer is worth about R110 a month.

Why it costs so much

The pump isn't huge, but it runs for many hours, every day.

Eskom's 274 kWh-a-year figure for one hour a day implies a pump of about 0.75 kW. Running for 8 hours a day, a pump that size uses about 180 kWh a month: roughly R855–R922. Check your own pump's rating plate.

What Eskom recommends

  • Run it in at least two shorter sessions a day, outside the 5–9 p.m. peak.
  • In summer, filter the water twice every 24 hours. Eskom says these settings may be halved in winter, and possibly reduced to once a week if the pool is fully covered.
  • Clean the filter regularly. A clean filter means better water flow.
  • Brush the floor and walls weekly where circulation is poor.
  • Check the timer after every outage. Load-shedding and power cuts can reset timers, so replace the timer's backup battery.

A power cut can quietly reset your timer. Check it every time the lights come back.

Don't sacrifice water quality

Too little filtering costs more in chemicals, and a green pool costs more to recover. Cut gradually, watch the water, and ask your pool shop about the minimum turnover for your pool.

Interesting things about pool pumps

  • Eskom's own figure is about R680 a year per hour cut, calculated at an older tariff. At Tshwane's 2026/27 rates the same 274 kWh is worth about R1 300–R1 400 a year.
  • A pool cover cuts the work too. Eskom ties its once-a-week winter suggestion to a completely covered pool.

What fixing it could save

  • Cutting 1 hour a day: about 23 kWh a month, R108–R117 a month.
  • Cutting 2 hours a day: about 46 kWh a month, R217–R233 a month.
  • Winter halving of an 8-hour summer schedule (0.75 kW pump): about 90 kWh a month, R428–R461 a month, in winter months.

A variable-speed pump can use less, but the savings depend on the model and setup.. Ask an electrician or pool specialist for a quote and a measured estimate.

How we worked out these figures

Per hour cut: 274 kWh a year ÷ 12 ≈ 22.8 kWh a month (Eskom).

Implied pump size: 274 kWh ÷ 365 h ≈ 0.75 kW.

Which rate. A saving comes off your top block. Most Tshwane homes using more than 400 units a month pay R4.75 a unit (401–650) or R5.12 (above 650), including VAT, in 2026/27. So we show savings as a range between those two rates.

Example. 22.8 × R4.75 = R108; 22.8 × R5.12 = R117.

Safety: don't open your distribution board, plugs or appliance wiring yourself. Electrical work must be done by a registered electrician, who issues a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) for fixed wiring.

Want a second pair of eyes? Lesedi Energy can help you read your meter data and check the electrical side of your home safely. We measure first and recommend only what's needed. Use the contact button on this page to get in touch.

Lesedi Energy: Smarter energy decisions start at home.

Sources (checked 16 Oct 2026)

  1. 274 kWh/year and about R680 per hour/day cut; twice a day; outside 5–9 p.m.; clean filter; brushing: Eskom 'Maintaining your pool during the hot summer' factsheet (Oct 2020): https://www.eskom.co.za/eas/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SWIMMING-POOL-FACTSHEET-SUMMER-Final.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  2. Twice per 24 h in summer, halve in winter, once a week if fully covered; timer drift after outages: Eskom 'Pool pump and geyser timer' factsheet (June 2020): https://www.eskom.co.za/eas/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/POOL-PUMP-AND-GEYSER-TIMER-FACTSHEET-FINAL-.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  3. Tshwane 2026/27 block rates (R4.75 for 401–650 units, R5.12 above 650, incl. VAT; City figures, gazette check pending): City of Tshwane: https://www.tshwane.gov.za/?p=102188 (opens in a new tab)
  4. All rand figures: calculated (method box above).