The cost of maintaining a pool can vary depending on many variables, such as materials, that fancy waterfall, overall design, and most of all size. However, that doesn’t mean your operating costs are set in stone the moment your pool is finished. While those “big picture” factors set the baseline for your monthly maintenance bill, there are some cost-efficient actions you can make to reduce your average monthly bill.

Many of these steps will be what you have been looking for to make less of a dent in your hard-earned cash. Seriously, your wallet will thank you. With just a little (or no) money upfront, you can save quite a bit down the road. However, it is just like sticking to a diet, it does require day-to-day discipline. The more consistent you are about keeping your pool maintenance costs down, the more successful you are likely to be.

Here are 8 ways to save a little dough in the swimming pool department:

1. Use a pool cover

A pool cover is a relatively small investment that can potentially pay for itself many times over in reduced energy costs. By slowing down the rate of evaporation, a cover keeps your pool naturally warmer so your heater doesn’t have to work as hard. For more energy savings, you can get a solar pool cover that’s designed to trap the sun’s rays. The sun is the reason you have a pool, right? Might as well take advantage of it and allow it to play its part.

2. Keep on top of things

The worst thing you can do to save money on pool maintenance is to… well… not maintain it. For example, if you don’t maintain proper chemical balance, you could find yourself facing an algae problem that will be much more expensive to fix in the long run. After all, the point is to save money, not create a situation that will end in many dollar signs. This goes for basic cleaning as well. It may seem trivial, but it most certainly is not.

3. Turn off water features when you’re not using the pool

Features such as waterfalls and deck jets, although pretty and enjoyable, they do use (a lot) of energy, and evaporation and water cooling is necessary, no way around it. For many people, a key benefit of these features is the ambient sound they produce even when the pool is not in use. However, turning that feature off, especially when you’re not at home, is a great way to save energy and money.

4. Only use your filter when necessary

Many pool owners choose to run their pool filter 24 hours a day, but why? You are most likely to know when your pool is in use most often, which should give you a time frame of when your filter should be used to keep your pool clean, and by using less energy/cost to run the filter. Check with your electric company to see if you can save money by running it less during non-peak hours.

5. Use an energy efficient pump

For the most part, conventional pool pumps run at one speed, which wastes energy on low-intensity tasks, such as filtration. Installing a variable speed pump can save you more than you might think throughout the lifetime of your pump.

6. Don’t over-clean

The joy of diving into a crisp, cool, and extremely clean pool is by far the most inviting part of owning one in the first place. However, letting the automatic cleaner run endlessly or applying unneeded chemicals doesn’t do anything except waste money. It pays to learn exactly what resources you need to keep your pool in top-notch and swimmable shape.

7. Turn the temperature down

Using a heater isn’t a bad idea if it means you can get more use out of your pool. Some of the best chilly nights involve good people and a perfectly heated pool. Just know that there is a paid premium for every degree you raise your pools water temperature. You can save a lot of money by keeping your pool as (comfortably) cool as possible. The no-brainer advice, keep the heat down when you pool is not in use.

8. Create the right environment for your pool

If you were to move, relocating your pool is not exactly one of the things that easily fits into the back of a U-Haul. However, being aware of the surroundings of your current or future pool can allow it to operate more efficiently. Having trees near the pool may prevent the sun from naturally heating the pool. Erecting a wind barrier can reduce the amount of water used due to evaporation.

These 8 tips will help you keep the cost of having a pool to a happy minimum. With proper cleaning tools, using them correctly and efficiently, and knowing when not to overdo it, your wallet will be happy.