What a pool cover costs, and whether it pays for itself
We could not verify a pool cover price from any source that was not selling one, so this page publishes no purchase price. What it gives instead is the whole savings side, verified — and a plain warning that a cover is not a barrier and never replaces a compliant pool fence.
A pool cover cuts evaporation by 90–95%, saving about 3,000 litres a month — 36 kilolitres a year. At published 2026–27 tariffs that is $76 in Perth, $123 in Sydney and up to $181 in Melbourne, before chemical savings. Divide your quoted cover price by that figure.
The short answer
- SPASA: an uncovered pool loses about 7mm a day in summer; a cover cuts evaporation 90–95%.
- That is roughly 36,000 litres a year — close to a whole pool's volume.
- Water saved is worth $75.89 in Perth, $122.76 in Sydney, $180.96 on Melbourne's second step.
- Chemicals run $360–$1,200 a year, and evaporated water takes dissolved chemical with it.
- We publish no cover price: every source we could find was a retailer. Use your own quote.
| Perth | Sydney | Melbourne | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water rate used | $2.108/kL (tier 1) | $3.41/kL (flat) | $5.0268/kL (step 2) |
| Evaporation avoided | 36 kL/year | 36 kL/year | 36 kL/year |
| Water saving per year | $75.89 | $122.76 | $180.96 |
| Chemical cost range | $360–$1,200 | $360–$1,200 | $360–$1,200 |
| Heating, solar season | $96–$240 | $96–$240 | $96–$240 |
| Heating, gas season | $600–$1,500 | $600–$1,500 | $600–$1,500 |
| Total running cost | $1,200–$2,500 | $1,200–$2,500 | $1,200–$2,500 |
| Payback on a $700 cover | 9.2 years on water alone | 5.7 years on water alone | 3.9 years on water alone |
Why there is no price on this page
We looked for a pool cover price from a source that was not selling pool covers, twice, and did not find one. Every figure available — per square metre, per cover, for a roller — comes from a retailer's own guide. On this site we do not publish a price we cannot verify at an independent source, and we do not name or quote a real pool business.
That is a limitation worth stating plainly rather than working around with an averaged number that would look authoritative and mean nothing. Cover prices vary by material, thickness, whether the cover is cut to shape, and whether a roller and installation are included, and averaging across those is how a made-up figure gets into circulation.
So the page gives you the other half, which is the half that is verifiable, and which nobody publishes properly: exactly what a cover saves, in dollars, at your city's published tariff. Get one quote for a cover sized to your pool, put it over the annual saving, and you have your payback period in years. That is a calculation you can trust, because you supplied the only number that was ever uncertain.
The savings, worked from verified numbers
Water. SPASA puts summer evaporation from an uncovered pool at roughly 7mm a day, with a cover reducing evaporation by 90 to 95% and saving about 3,000 litres a month. Three kilolitres a month is 36 kilolitres a year.
Priced at published 2026–27 residential tariffs: Water Corporation's tier 1 rate of $2.108 gives $75.89. Sydney Water's flat $3.41 gives $122.76. Yarra Valley Water's second step at $5.0268 — the marginal rate most Melbourne households with a pool are actually on — gives $180.96.
Chemicals. Our verified range for chemicals is $360 to $1,200 a year. Evaporating water carries dissolved chemical with it and the make-up water has to be rebalanced, so a cover reduces this line too. We are not putting a percentage on it, because we have not found a figure for chemical saving specifically that is verifiable rather than vendor-published, and a plausible-sounding percentage is exactly the thing this site tries not to do.
Heating. This is where a cover earns most, and least predictably. Heating decides whether your annual bill lands at $1,200 or $2,500: solar runs $96 to $240 a season against $600 to $1,500 for gas. A cover retains heat overnight, which shortens the heating the next day. If you heat, the cover pays back far faster than the water figure alone suggests. If you do not heat, that saving is zero.
The payback calculation, and how to run it on your own quote
Step 1 — annual water saving. Take 36 kilolitres and multiply by your marginal water rate, which is the rate on the next kilolitre you use, not the lowest step on your bill. On a stepped tariff the marginal rate is usually higher than the headline one, and using the headline rate understates the saving.
Step 2 — add heating, if you heat. If you run a gas heater across a six-month season at the upper end of the range, a cover shortening the heating day is worth considerably more than the water. Use a conservative fraction of your own gas or electricity cost, not a supplier's claim.
Step 3 — divide. Quoted cover price divided by annual saving equals payback in years.
The threshold. On water alone, a $700 cover pays back in 3.9 years in Melbourne, 5.7 in Sydney and 9.2 in Perth. Add any heating at all and every one of those drops sharply. Our reading of it: if you heat the pool, a cover is the first thing to buy and the arithmetic is not close. If you do not heat and you are in Perth on tier 1 water, it is a genuine judgement call rather than an obvious yes — and a cover has non-financial benefits, in debris and cleaning time, that no payback calculation captures.
What a cover does not do
It is not a safety barrier. No pool cover substitutes for a compliant fence in any Australian state. The barrier obligation is continuous and is not satisfied by covering the water — see the non-climbable zone explained for what the barrier actually has to do.
It does not fix a leak. If your pool is losing more water than evaporation accounts for, a cover will mask the symptom rather than solve it. SPASA's 7mm a day is the benchmark to measure against: significantly more than that, consistently, is a leak. The bucket test is in what to do about a leaking pool.
It does not run itself. A cover only saves anything on the nights it is on. A cover that is awkward to deploy is a cover that lives rolled up beside the pool, and its measured payback then is infinite. If you are buying one, the roller is not an accessory question — it is what decides whether the thing gets used.
It is not the biggest lever. Heating method is, by a wide margin. Our full ranking of what actually lowers a pool bill is in the best way to reduce pool running costs, and the underlying figures are in what a pool costs to run per year.
If you are still at the planning stage, the cover is a decision you can make later — the pool is not. Pool quotes are free, and running costs are worth asking each builder about while you have their attention.
Common questions
How much water does a pool cover save?
How long does a pool cover take to pay for itself?
Why does this page not say what a pool cover costs?
Can a pool cover replace a pool fence?
Sources
- SPASA — Pool and spa owner FAQs, tips and tricks
- Sydney Water — Residential pricing 2026-27
- Water Corporation (WA) — Understanding your water use charges
- Yarra Valley Water — Fees, charges and pricing
General information only, current at 2026-09-12. Pool rules differ by state and by council, and penalty amounts are updated regularly. Confirm your own obligations with your council or a registered inspector before acting.
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