Leslie's Urges Pool Owners to Stop Using Chlorine Tabs Without EPA Labels - PoolMagazine.com - Get The Latest Pool News (2023)

New Energy Conservation Standards for General Service Lamps, recently passed by the U.S. Department of Energy, are set to impact the pool and spa industry. These regulations, which apply to all lamps emitting between 310 and 3,300 lumens, are designed to manage energy usage in various applications and industries, including pools and spas.

Under these regulations, all lamps falling within the specified lumen range must emit at least 45 lumens per watt. This requirement applies to both traditional lamps and LED lights, although many LED products currently comply with the standards.

It’s important to note that the enforcement timeline for these regulations is more stringent than previous rules. As of January 1, 2023, manufacturers are no longer permitted to produce, sell, or import non-compliant lights. Violators may face penalties for non-compliance.

How Department of Energy Regulations Will Impact The Pool Industry

To get a better understanding of the new regulations we spoke with Ben Forrest of PAL Lighting, one of the industry leaders in the pool lighting sector.

“The bottom line is the Department of Energy has made a decision that they want to introduce legislation to stop the continual use of really inefficient lighting,” explained Forrest, “most importantly, this is not just for the pool industry. This is right across the entire lighting sector and electrical sector nationwide. The legislation relates to what they call GSL’s, or General Service Lamps, defined as lamps that either have an anti-screw fitting or pin connections.”

“It doesn’t include nicheless lights or the niche lights that are full fixture lights. It does include LED lamps, but any light that is not a lamp is not included under this. So the obvious target for the Department of Energy is the incandescent lamps,” said Forrest.

“What they’ve said is that any lamp that doesn’t produce at least 45 lumens of light per watt is not considered energy efficient, and it’s not sufficient to pass the legislation. Now, that will rule out virtually every incandescent lamp immediately, and it will rule out a lot of the LED lamps,” explained Forrest.

What About a “Grace Period”?

What this news means is that distributors and retailers are also subject to these regulations. As of March 1, 2023, retailers are prohibited from selling non-compliant lights. Companies selling non-compliant lights between March 1 and July 31 will face reduced penalties, but starting August 1, full penalties will be imposed on distributors and retailers who continue to sell non-compliant lights.

“They’re giving a grace period where you’re not going to get penalized too bad or a reduced penalty period, which may be nothing more than a written warning. Most likely that’s what it’s going to be for first offenses, but if you’re caught repeatedly, they’re going to start issuing fines,” warns Forrest.

These regulations are part of the DOE’s efforts to promote energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption in various industries, including the pool and spa industry. It’s essential for pool contractors and consumers to be aware of and comply with these new standards to avoid penalties and ensure environmentally responsible practices.

Listen to our entire conversation with Ben Forrest of PAL Lighting and learn more about the new DOE lighting regulations on the Pool Magazine podcast.

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A recent story that went mainstream in media outlets puts the pool industry in a rather negative light. It discusses a study published in the journal Nature Sustainability that highlights what it considers the impact of the wealthy population’s excessive use of water in urban areas. While the study focused on Cape Town in South Africa, the authors suggest that their findings are relevant to other cities with high inequality, including those that have faced serious water shortages due to droughts and overconsumption in the past two decades. The article mentions cities like Miami, Mexico City, Sydney, London, and Beijing as examples.

New Study Puts Swimming Pools in The Crosshairs

The study, which used interviews and focus groups to model water consumption, found that the two wealthiest groups of residents in Cape Town were responsible for more than half of the city’s water consumption, despite representing less than 15 percent of the population. Most of their water usage was attributed to nonessential activities, such as watering their gardens, filling their swimming pools, and washing cars. In contrast, the water use among the rest of the population focused on basic requirements, such as drinking and hygiene.

While the article acknowledges that the study’s findings are relevant to other cities with high inequality, it does more to generate negativity about swimming pools than it speaks to direct instances of where this may be occurring in the United States. In general, outlets like the Washington Post picked up the story and ran their version with a byline “Rich people’s swimming pools are fueling water crises in cities”, which is not even remotely accurate. The story was also picked up by Time, NBC, and many other news sources.

Certainly, the news the last two previous years discussed the implications of a drought plaguing California, but after a winter of tremendous rains and snowfall, more than half the state is now free from the drought. Most experts agree that we’re in a much different place than we were a year ago and are no longer in a drought. In fact, according to the most recent studies, there are no areas of the state of California currently impacted by severe or extreme drought.

Seeing that the water crisis was primarily limited to California, it does not make much sense that news outlets would perpetuate a story such as this. While there is an ongoing drought in places like Kansas and Florida, the only U.S. city the study cited was Miami, which is ironic because the city of Miami is not currently affected by severe drought. The fact is, when this type of news goes mainstream it can have potentially negative implications and socio-economic impact on the pool industry.

An article in Fortune cites the Nature Sustainability study and leads with the fact that a drought in the Colorado River Basin threatens the water supply of seven states. Well, California is the biggest consumer of that water, most of which is earmarked for irrigation and that has very little to do with people filling their swimming pools. As mentioned, California is no longer in a drought, so this should greatly mitigate that water usage.

Let’s look at the facts. Pools actually are a very important part of our society. The swimming pool market was valued at $3.18 billion in 2022. The workforce this industry employs comprises over 50,000 pool construction workers and over 92,500 in the pool service profession in the United States alone (IBISWorld – 2023).

Swimming pools have been shown to increase the value of a home by up to 7%, homes with pools sell on average for an additional $28,945. Putting in a swimming pool rather than a lawn is actually a smarter way to save water according to Stanford Magazine who said, “If you’re interested in which uses less water, the answer is quite simple: a pool. A lawn requires 0.6 gallons of water per square foot each day, compared to 0.3 gallons for a pool.”

Overall, the study highlights the impact of excessive water consumption by wealthy individuals during water shortages in Cape Town, South Africa. Unfortunately, it does not tell the complete story, at least not to the extent for major news outlets to lead with it as a feature for U.S. readers to absorb.

While preserving water resources appears to remain a hot-button issue with news outlets, supporting local businesses and jobs continues to be something we cannot look away from, especially right now. Ultimately when consumers read news of this nature it does put negative connotations about pools in their minds. Policymakers in particular may need to consider the source of this news and who this study was based on.

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PHOENIX,April 11, 2023/PRNewswire/ —Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL), the largest and most trusted direct-to-consumer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry, is turning 60. In addition to celebrating six decades of success delivering expert pool and spa care advice to consumers, the company also announced the opening of its 1,000^thstore, surpassing its 50-million water test milestone, and shares a useful list of pool facts.

Leslie’s was founded in 1963 byPhil Leslie Jr.in a single location inLos Angeles. The retailer has grown to a 1,000-store chain across 37 states, providing pool owners and professionals with everything they need to keep pools and spas clean, safe, and beautiful. The company opened its 1,000^thstore last week inNorth Port, Florida.

Leslie’s has a well-earned reputation for superior customer service and high-quality products, but its most valuable offering is expert pool and spa care advice from knowledgeable in-store team members and professional equipment installation and repair from more than 200 certified service technicians.

Helping pool owners achieve a clean, safe, and beautiful pool is Leslie’s top priority, and its proprietary AccuBlue^®in-store water test with customized treatment plan is key to the retailer’s success. Leslie’s AccuBlue water test is a complimentary in-store service that takes just 60 seconds to deliver a 10-point water test, a pool health score, and a corresponding treatment plan. The AccuBlue technology is a product of Leslie’s 60 years of water test experience and the accumulated data from more than 50 million tests. The AccuBlue water test and treatment plan is the most comprehensive water testing solution in the industry – and it’s provided for free at all Leslie’s stores.

In addition to free water tests, Leslie’s also offers:

• Free in-store inspection and repair of pool equipment, such as pool cleaners. Pool owners simply bring in the non-working or malfunctioning item to a Leslie’s store, and a certified on-staff expert will assess and fix it. That’s free labor; shoppers only pay for the cost of parts and materials.
• Free Pool Perks Program – members receive 5% in rewards on all purchases and services, free shipping on lesliespool.com orders, extended warranties on select equipment, and exclusive offers and promotions.
• Free expert advice from 3,500-plus knowledgeable associates, as well as helpful online resources including more than 1,500 how-to articles and YouTube videos covering everything you need to know to care for your pool.

Noteworthy Pool Facts
In celebration of its 60 years of providing expert advice, Leslie’s shared the following list of interesting facts about pool care:

• Water chemistry is different across various regions of the U.S. and water sources from local municipalities or wells can deliver hard water, soft water, higher levels of metals, nitrates, and increased calcium, among other nuances. Local Leslie’s in-store pool experts have regional know-how to help address localized issues.
• Every pool should cycle its entire volume of water through the filtration system at least once a day to remove debris, dirt, and germs. It can take as many as eight or more hours per day to fully cycle through, but this doesn’t have to happen in one continuous cycling process.
• Pool care can beeco-friendlyand there are many modern solutions to save energy, water, and the use of pool chemicals.
• Solar coversare a simple way to reduce pool water evaporation by up to 95% — saving water and money! This easy solution helps mitigate the loss of pool water, which can evaporate at one-quarter inch per day in the summertime heat, more depending on the region.
• Variable speed pumps use far less energy and are a cost-effective alternative to single-speed pumps, which are among the highest energy-consuming appliances for a home – second only to an air conditioning system. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, upgrading from a single speed pump to a variable speed pump can reduce energy use by up to 90%.
• A well-maintained pool and pool water is not only safe, clean, and beautiful, it can use less water than an irrigated common-sized lawn.
• Automatic pool cleaners make cleaning a pool a breeze. Energy-efficient robotic pool cleaners are totally self-contained units that have their own built-in pump and filter to clean the pool quickly and efficiently.
• Pets – especially dogs – also enjoy pools. It’s important to test your water after your pets indulge in pool time.
• Leslie’s is conveniently located nationwide. There is a Leslie’s pool store within 20 minutes of 80% of the pools in the continental U.S.

About Leslie’s
Founded in 1963, Leslie’s is the largest and most trusted direct-to-consumer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry. The Company serves the aftermarket needs of residential and professional consumers with an extensive and largely exclusive assortment of essential pool and spa care products. The Company operates an integrated ecosystem of 1,000 physical locations and a robust digital platform, enabling consumers to engage with Leslie’s whenever, wherever, and however they prefer to shop. Its dedicated team of associates, pool and spa care experts, and experienced service technicians are passionate about empowering Leslie’s consumers with the knowledge, products, and solutions necessary to confidently maintain and enjoy their pools and spas.

For more information about Leslie’s, visitlesliespool.comor follow and engage with us:@lesliespoolcareon Instagram,Leslie’son Facebook, and@lesliespoolcareon Twitter.

Media:Mardi Larson, Amendola for Leslie’s,[emailprotected]

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