Short answer: a heat pump for a private pool on the Costa Blanca costs from €2,000 installed with Creator Pools. For a typical 8×4 m pool of about 45 m³ you need roughly 9–11 kW of heating power. Running it adds about €40–200 a month to the electricity bill while it is heating, and with a thermal cover a season from May to September usually stays at the lower end. Below is how to size it and what it really costs to run.
Why a heat pump on the Costa Blanca
An unheated pool here is pleasant from about June to September. A heat pump stretches that to spring and autumn, when the air is still mild but the water has cooled. It works like an air conditioner in reverse: it takes heat from the outside air and puts it into the water, and for every kWh of electricity it delivers several kWh of heat. That ratio, the COP, is typically 4 to 7 according to Repsol, which is why a heat pump is far cheaper to run than an electric heater.
The mild coastal climate suits it well. Heat pumps lose efficiency when the air drops below about 10 °C, which on the Costa Blanca happens on some winter nights rather than for weeks at a time.
What size you need
A simple rule used by suppliers such as AutoSolar: divide the pool volume in m³ by 4 if the pool has no cover, or by 5 if it has a thermal cover, to get the heating power in kW.
| Pool | Volume, approx. | With cover (÷5) | Without cover (÷4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6×3 m | about 25 m³ | 5 kW | 6–7 kW |
| 8×4 m | about 45 m³ | 9 kW | 11 kW |
| 10×5 m | about 70 m³ | 14 kW | 17–18 kW |
This is a starting point, not the final answer. Wind exposure, shade, how warm you want the water and how far into spring and autumn you want to swim all change the size. A pump that is too small runs for hours without reaching the temperature; one that is far too big costs more than it needs to. We size it on the site visit.
What it costs to buy and install
With Creator Pools a heat pump starts at €2,000 installed, connected to the existing filtration circuit. Larger units for big pools cost more. As a market reference, Habitissimo estimates about €4,500 to heat an 8×4×1.6 m pool with a heat pump, against about €3,500 with solar panels and about €1,200 with an electric heater, which is cheap to install but expensive to run.
On a new pool it is cheaper to plan the heat pump from the start: the plant room, the pipework and the electrical supply are prepared once.
What it costs to run
Repsol puts the extra consumption of a pool heat pump at 240–1,200 kWh a month, which at €0.16–0.20 per kWh is about €40–200 a month while it is in use. Their worked example, a 1.5 kW unit running six hours a day, adds about 270 kWh, or around €43 a month.
For a whole season, a study by the manufacturer Zodiac for an 8×4 m pool with a thermal blanket, heated to 28 °C from May to September, gives an energy cost between about €166 and €710 depending on the climate zone. The warm Mediterranean coast sits towards the lower end of that range; inland and northern Spain towards the top.
Three things decide where your pool falls:
- A cover. Most heat is lost from the surface at night. Covering the pool is the single biggest saving, and it also cuts evaporation and dirt.
- The target temperature. Every extra degree costs more; 27–28 °C is comfortable for most people.
- The months you heat. Lifting a cool April pool costs more than topping up a June one.
Heat pump, solar or electric heater?
| Heat pump | Solar panels | Electric heater | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To install | from €2,000 with us | about €3,500 (market) | about €1,200 (market) |
| To run | low: COP 4–7 | almost free, weather-dependent | high: 1 kWh of heat per kWh |
| Extends the season | yes, reliably | partly, on sunny days | yes, at a high cost |
For most private pools on the Costa Blanca the heat pump is the best balance between what it costs to buy and what it costs to run.
Add it up with the rest of the running costs
Heating is one line of the pool budget. For filtration, chemicals, water and maintenance, see how much it costs to run a pool in Spain. For the equipment we install and our prices, see pool heating systems, and for a salt system with automatic pH control (from €900) see salt and pH systems.
Want to swim from spring to autumn? Call +34 634 928 081 or send us the address, and we will size the heat pump for your pool and give you the price in writing. We answer in English, Spanish, Polish and Russian, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00.
