10 Cheap Pool Heating Options That Work

Your pool sits there cold and unused for half the year, and a full heat pump installation feels like a big spend to fix that. So you go looking for cheaper ways to warm the water, and the internet hands you a dozen "hacks" with no real way to tell which ones actually work and which ones just waste your weekend.

Some of these cheap options genuinely earn their place. Others add barely a degree, or cost more in upkeep across a season than they ever save you. Without a straight comparison, it is easy to spend money and effort on the wrong one.

This guide ranks ten real cheap pool heating options for Australian conditions, from completely free DIY tricks through to the single upgrade that delivers the best value for most pool owners.

1. The Black Hose Trick

If you already own a black garden hose, this option costs nothing. Coil it in a spot that gets full sun, connect it to your water source, and run the far end into your pool. Water sitting in a black hose absorbs heat quickly, so whatever runs out the other end is noticeably warmer than what went in.

The catch is scale. A single hose only warms the small volume of water passing through it, so the effect on your total pool volume is modest at best, typically a degree or two under ideal conditions. It works best as a way to top up your pool with warm water rather than a genuine heating method, and it performs best in mild climates or as a small boost alongside another option on this list.

A single 20-metre coil holds only around 15 to 20 litres at any one time, which is why the temperature lift disappears once it mixes into a pool holding tens of thousands of litres. For the best result, coil the hose across a dark surface like mulch or a sun-facing brick wall rather than laying it on grass, which stays cooler and slows the heat transfer.

2. Solar Sun Rings

Solar sun rings are floating discs made from UV-resistant vinyl. They work by trapping a layer of insulating air on top while their darker underside absorbs sunlight and transfers that heat into the water below.

They are a legitimate low-cost option, but they come with real limitations. Coverage is partial rather than whole-pool, since you need enough rings to cover a meaningful portion of the surface. They need to be manually removed before you swim and replaced afterward, and they tend to collect dust and debris that reduces their effectiveness over time. On overcast days or in shaded pools, they contribute very little. Sun rings work best as a supplementary option for a small pool or a section of a larger one, not as your primary heating strategy.

Individual rings typically retail for $20 to $40 each and cover roughly one square metre of surface, so covering a standard 40 square metre pool properly would mean buying dozens of rings. At that point, a single solar blanket becomes the more economical choice per square metre covered.

3. Liquid Solar Blanket

A liquid solar blanket is a chemical additive that forms an invisible, molecule-thin layer across the water surface, working on the same evaporation-barrier principle as a physical cover, just far less effectively. Independent testing generally shows liquid covers reduce evaporation by around 15%, compared with up to 97% for a properly fitted physical solar pool cover, and retain considerably less heat as a result.

Liquid covers also break down within weeks and need regular reapplication to keep working, adding an ongoing cost that a physical cover does not carry. They perform worst in exactly the conditions many Australian backyards have: windy sites, pools that see frequent daily use, and pools surrounded by trees or gardens that shed debris onto the surface. In a sheltered, low-traffic pool, a liquid cover can be a reasonable low-cost supplement. In most other situations, it is the least effective option on this list.

A bottle typically costs $20 to $40 and treats an average pool for around four weeks before needing to be reapplied, so the ongoing cost adds up across a full season even though each individual dose looks cheap on its own.

4. Solar Pool Cover

A quality solar pool cover is the standout option on this list, and the one why you need a pool cover explains in full. It works as a genuine physical barrier across the water surface, stopping evaporation by up to 97% while simultaneously transmitting solar energy into the pool during the day, functioning as a passive solar heater with no electricity or gas involved.

A quality cover can raise water temperature by up to 8°C during a day of direct sun exposure, and just as importantly, it holds onto the heat your pool has already accumulated overnight rather than letting it evaporate away. In practical terms, that 8°C lift can take a pool sitting at a chilly 20°C in early spring to a genuinely swimmable 28°C, without a single dollar spent on running costs. Look for products independently verified under the Smart Approved WaterMark scheme, which benchmarks genuine performance rather than relying on manufacturer claims alone.

The one condition that determines whether a solar cover delivers its full value is consistent use, every single night. This is where a good set of pool cover rollers earns its keep. A cover that is awkward to handle ends up left off more nights than it is on, and every night it stays off, the heat retention benefit disappears with it.

5. Windbreaks and Smart Pool Positioning

Wind is one of the biggest drivers of heat loss from an outdoor pool, since it strips away the thin layer of warm air sitting just above the water surface and accelerates evaporation in the process. A fence, hedge, or screen positioned to block prevailing wind across the pool can measurably reduce that heat loss, and in many backyards this can be done with landscaping you already have or plan to add anyway.

This option costs little to nothing if you are simply repositioning existing plants, fencing, or outdoor furniture to break the wind path. It will not heat your pool on its own, but it protects whatever heat you generate through other methods on this list from being stripped away by the next breeze.

Something as simple as an existing colorbond fence panel, a hedge you were already planning to plant, or repositioning a shade sail to block the prevailing afternoon breeze can deliver this benefit without spending anything beyond what you were already going to spend.

6. Running Your Heat Pump at the Right Time of Day

If you already run a pool heat pump, one of the cheapest improvements available to you costs nothing at all: scheduling it to run during the warmest part of the day rather than overnight or early morning. Heat pumps draw warmth from the surrounding air, so they operate at their most efficient when the ambient air temperature is highest, typically early to mid-afternoon in most Australian climates.

Running the same heat pump during a cooler part of the day forces it to work harder for a smaller temperature gain, using more energy to achieve less. Adjusting your filtration and heating schedule is a five-minute change with no equipment cost, and it compounds with every other option on this list rather than competing with them.

In most Australian capitals, the most efficient window sits roughly between 11am and 4pm, when ambient air temperature and available sunlight are both at their peak.

7. Cutting Overnight Pump Run-Time While the Cover Is On

Once you have a cover in place, keeping your pump and heater running overnight the way you might have before is often unnecessary. With the cover reducing heat loss to a fraction of what it was, the pool holds its temperature far longer without help, so extended overnight circulation and heating is money spent maintaining a temperature the cover was already preserving on its own.

This is a free, immediate adjustment for anyone who already has a cover but has not revisited their pump and heater schedule since installing it. Trialling a shorter overnight run and checking the morning temperature is usually all it takes to find the new minimum that still keeps the pool comfortable.

A simple way to find that minimum is to cut your overnight run by an hour at a time over a week, checking the morning water temperature each day, until you find the shortest run-time that still holds your target temperature.

8. Dark-Coloured Pool Surrounds and Decking

The colour of the paving, decking, or coping around your pool affects how much heat radiates back toward the water rather than reflecting away from it. Dark-coloured surrounds absorb more heat during the day and re-radiate some of it toward the pool as temperatures drop, while light-coloured surrounds reflect more heat away.

This is not a fix on its own, and it is not something to renovate purely for heating purposes. But if you are already planning a pool surrounds upgrade, choosing a darker material over a lighter one is a genuinely cheap way to get a small ongoing heating benefit for no extra cost over the alternative.

Charcoal or dark grey pavers absorb noticeably more heat than light sandstone or cream-toned options, and since most renovations already involve choosing a colour anyway, this is effectively a free upgrade if you simply lean darker.

9. A DIY Bubble Wrap Solar Cover

Cut to size and floated bubble-side down, ordinary bubble wrap is the budget stopgap many pool owners try before investing in a proper cover, and it is worth covering honestly here rather than pretending it does not exist. It does absorb some solar heat and reduces evaporation to a degree, working on a similar principle to a manufactured solar blanket.

The downsides are significant. Standard bubble wrap is not UV-stabilised, so it degrades quickly in Australian sun, often within a single season, and needs regular replacement. It insulates and transmits heat far less effectively than a purpose-built solar cover, and most people find it unsightly enough that they stop using it within a few weeks. It is a reasonable way to test whether covering your pool makes a noticeable difference before committing to a proper cover, but it is not a long-term solution.

A standard roll costs somewhere around $30 to $50 and rarely lasts more than a season before it needs replacing, so while the upfront cost is low, it is not a genuine set-and-forget option the way a purpose-built cover is.

10. Pairing a Cover With a Heat Pump

If you already run a heat pump, or are considering one, pairing it with a cover is the combination that delivers the best value of any option on this list. The heat pump generates warmth, and the cover stops that warmth escaping overnight through evaporation, meaning the heat pump has to work far less to maintain the same target temperature day after day.

Automated pool covers make this combination effortless, since a motorised, one-touch system removes the physical effort that causes manual covers to sit unused on the roller more nights than not. For households prioritising overnight retention through cooler months over daytime solar gain, thermal pool covers are purpose-built for that role and pair just as effectively with a heat pump.

Pool owners who add a cover to an existing heat pump commonly report their running costs dropping by a third or more, since the heat pump is no longer fighting overnight evaporation losses every single day.

Which Cheap Pool Heating Option Actually Saves the Most?

Our guide to pool cover costs in Australia breaks down cover pricing at every level of the market if you want to see where a solar or automated cover sits against the other options above.

Why Elite Pool Covers Is the Right Partner for Affordable Pool Heating

Cheap heating hacks have their place, but the biggest, most reliable jump in value for most Australian pool owners comes from a properly engineered cover, and the difference between an entry-level product and a well-made one shows up every single day it is in use.

Elite Pool Covers has designed, manufactured, and supplied pool cover systems from Perth, Western Australia since 1989. Elite was the first Australian company to design, develop, and manufacture an automatic pool cover, and the first to produce high-insulation solar blankets, achievements that have since been replicated across the market but originated with Elite. Elite has also supplied large-scale commercial cover and roller systems to facilities including HBF Stadium, Fiona Stanley Hospital, and Perth Children's Hospital.

Every pool cover in the Elite range is manufactured to withstand harsh Australian UV, salt, and chemical conditions, and is backed by a pro-rata warranty from the Australian manufacturer behind it. Elite is a member of SPASA Australia, the peak industry body for the pool and spa sector, and supplies residential and commercial pools across Australia as well as export markets including New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, France, and the United Arab Emirates.

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