Make an ecosplash with these energy savers

Low-flow showers and toilets? Check.

Swimming pool? Did that wash out some carbon credits?

True, pools can gobble resources, especially energy with pumps, heaters and lights, and the obvious water. But green and pools don't have to be mutually exclusive (though in the algae sense of green, we hope they are).

"The average pool is probably using in the vicinity of 16 kilowatts of energy a day. That could be reduced to about 5 kilowatts pretty easily," says Rex Richard, administrator of Pool Genius Network, a social network for pool and hot tub professionals.

How can you green your pool?

Pump

Using an efficient pump can cut energy consumption by as much as 75 percent, Richard says.

Variable-speed pumps — which use the same permanent magnetic drive as hybrid cars — slow the water flow, which lowers resistance and therefore reduces energy consumption, explains Steve Toth of Acclaim Pools in The Woodlands (www.AcclaimPools.com). If special features require a higher flow rate than just turning the water, the pump can be revved up for a set amount of time.

The carbon savings is equivalent to driving about 10,000 miles a year less or planting about 3,000 trees, says Jeff Farlow, program manager of energy initiatives for Pentair Water, Pool and Spa in Sanford, N.C. The company's Web site, www.PentairPool.com, features a cost calculator for pools.