The first swimming pools raise the water temperature again

In the course of the energy crisis, the water in many swimming pools in North Rhine-Westphalia has become colder - now the first pools are raising the temperatures again. "We've been hearing lately that the water temperature is increasing again in some places," said the spokeswoman for the German Society for Bathing (DGfdB), Ann-Christin von Kieter. Although these are still isolated cases, it is quite possible that other pools will follow suit. "Looking towards the 2023 season, the trend in the industry is towards relaxation."

In the indoor pools of Kamen, Bönen and Bergkamen, the water temperature is now back to the pre-crisis level: In the sports pools it is 28 degrees, in the course pools 30 and in the small children's pool 33 degrees, as the GSW municipal utilities announced. A considerable amount of gas was saved as a result of the temperature reduction last summer.

"However, the reduction also had its downsides: children, parents and participants in fitness courses in particular complained about the colder temperatures." Since the risk of a gas shortage has now dropped significantly, the water has been warmed up again.

In Rheinberg, too, everything has recently been back to normal. Many citizens no longer came to the indoor pool because of the significantly cooler water, and children's swimming courses were no longer accepted, the city said. Since the general energy situation has eased slightly overall, the administration decided to increase the water temperatures by two degrees again. Swimming and paddling is also possible again in pleasant temperatures in Sundern, Sauerland.

In Münster, Essen and Bochum, on the other hand, the water in the pools initially remains cool. However, the current situation and possible developments are being observed, it said. The temperature is also still lower in Aachen – according to a spokesman, the topic should be discussed again in the near future.

Last summer, the DGfdB recommended that the pools lower the water temperature by two degrees as one of several possible energy-saving measures. This means that the total energy consumption of a pool can be reduced by up to 25 percent.