Short answer: an 8×4 m pool on the Costa Blanca with a standard single-speed pump costs about €550 a year in electricity, €600–1,200 in chemicals and €35–75 in top-up water, so roughly €1,200–1,800 a year if you look after it yourself. A variable-speed pump and a pool cover bring the electricity and water lines down sharply. A weekly maintenance service adds about €60 a month. Below is how each figure is worked out, so you can redo it for your own pool.
The pool we used for the figures
All numbers below are for a typical private pool we build: 8×4 m, about 32 m² of water surface and around 45 m³ of water, unheated, with a 0.75 kW (1 HP) single-speed filtration pump, a sand filter and LED lights. Electricity is counted at €0.20 per kWh: the regulated PVPC tariff averaged about €0.19 per kWh before taxes in October 2026, according to Selectra. If your contract is cheaper or dearer, scale the electricity line in proportion.
1. Electricity: the filtration pump
The pump is the biggest running cost. A common rule, quoted for example by Repsol, is to filter for as many hours a day as the water temperature in °C divided by two. In August, with water at around 28 °C, that is 14 hours a day; in January, at around 14 °C, about 7 hours.
| Season (Costa Blanca, unheated) | Water, approx. | Filtration a day | kWh a month | Cost a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 14–15 °C | 7–7.5 h | 150–175 | €30–35 |
| Spring and autumn (Mar–May, Oct–Nov) | 15–22 °C | 7.5–11 h | 175–255 | €35–51 |
| Summer (Jun–Sep) | 24–28 °C | 12–14 h | 270–325 | €54–65 |
Added up month by month, that is about 2,700 kWh a year, or roughly €550 with a single-speed pump. Water temperatures are typical values for an unheated pool in the area; a shaded pool runs cooler and needs fewer hours.
Variable-speed pumps change the picture. They filter the same water at a fraction of the power, and Repsol cites savings of up to 80% against a fixed-speed pump. In practice that puts the pump at roughly €170–270 a year instead of €550. On a new pool it is usually the first upgrade worth paying for.
The rest of the equipment barely registers: a salt chlorinator draws about 0.1 kW while the pump runs (around €70 a year at these hours), LED lights stay under €3 a month and a robot cleaner costs €1–4 a month.
2. Chemicals and water treatment
Chlorine, pH reducer, flocculant and the occasional algaecide make up the second line. For a private pool, Habitissimo puts basic yearly treatment at €600–1,200 (figures updated September 2026). Where you land depends on how many people swim, how hot the summer is and whether the water is kept balanced week to week rather than rescued after a green spell.
A salt system with automatic pH control (from €900 installed with us) makes its own chlorine from dissolved salt, so the chlorine line largely disappears. You still buy pH reducer and top up salt when the system asks for it, but there is less to handle and the water is gentler on skin and eyes.
3. Water: evaporation and top-ups
An uncovered pool on the coast loses roughly 4–8 mm a day in summer to sun and wind. Every millimetre on a 32 m² pool is 32 litres, so that is 130–260 litres a day in July and August, and a good deal less in winter. Over a year an 8×4 m pool typically needs 25–45 m³ of top-up water.
In Torrevieja, water from AGAMED is billed in blocks per quarter: €0.55 per m³ up to 15 m³, €1.27 from 16 to 39 m³ and €1.55 above that, plus about €0.11 per m³ for sewerage. Because pool top-ups come on top of household use, they usually fall in the dearer blocks, so count on €35–75 a year. The first fill of a new pool, about 45 m³, is a one-off cost on top.
A cover changes this line more than any other. Commercial estimates put the cut in evaporation at up to 90%, and a covered pool also loses less heat overnight and collects less dirt, which saves filtration and chemicals as well.
If the level drops much faster than this, it is worth checking for a leak rather than topping up: see how to tell a leak from evaporation.
4. Maintenance service, if you do not want to do it yourself
Many owners on the Costa Blanca are away for part of the year, so a service makes sense. Market prices for a private pool are around €60 a month, with one or two visits a week in the season and one every three to four weeks outside it. Opening the pool for the season costs €300–400 and winterising €100–300 when they are not part of a yearly contract (Habitissimo, September 2026).
With Creator Pools maintenance you get the monthly price and the visit frequency in writing after we have seen the pool, with no annual tie-in. We also look after pools built by other companies.
The yearly total
| 8×4 m pool, unheated | Standard set-up | Variable-speed pump + salt + cover |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | about €550 | about €240–340 (pump + salt cell) |
| Chemicals | €600–1,200 | noticeably lower: mainly pH reducer and salt |
| Top-up water | €35–75 | a fraction of that with the cover on |
| Total, do it yourself | about €1,200–1,800 | clearly below that |
| Maintenance service | about €720 a year (€60 a month), quoted per pool | |
Heating is not included above. A heat pump to extend the season is a separate line; we have broken it down in heat pumps for pools on the Costa Blanca, with the price of the unit, the size you need and the monthly cost.
How to keep running costs down
- Choose a variable-speed pump on a new pool or when the old one fails. It pays for itself on electricity alone.
- Cover the pool when nobody is swimming: less evaporation, less heat loss, less dirt.
- Run filtration in cheaper hours where your tariff has them, or at midday if you have solar panels.
- Keep the water balanced every week. Rescuing a green pool costs more in chemicals than a month of regular care.
- Clean the filter and skimmer baskets, so the pump is not forced to work harder.
Thinking of building?
Running costs start on the drawing board: the pump, the filter, the salt system and the cover are cheapest to get right when the pool is built. Our turnkey prices start at €11,000 for a 6×3 m pool and €16,500 for an 8×4 m pool, and the pool cost calculator gives a figure for your size in a minute. For the full breakdown of building costs, read how much it costs to build a pool in Spain.
Want a running-cost estimate for your own pool? Call +34 634 928 081 or send us the address. We answer in English, Spanish, Polish and Russian, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00.
