Savings to the XE-treme

Scott Petty had used every car metaphor he could think of to describe the benefits of variable-speed pumps. But when new Department of Energy WEF ratings for pool pumps take effect in July, he’ll need some new ways to explain.

“With the DOE terminology and metrics, I hope the benefits are clear to the pool professional and the homeowner,” Petty says. “We understand that with a 30-miles-per-gallon car I’m going to save more than if I buy a 20-miles-per-gallon car. In the same way, the WEF conveys with this pump I’m going to save more than that pump.”

With the new DOE energy regulations for pool pumps and the WEF ratings to help convey efficiency, many single-speed pumps will no longer be available, leaving a void in the market. Hayward’s new XE line of pumps aims to fill that gap with variable-drive technology at one-third less the cost than competitive VSP pumps.

“The XE gives you the high WEF ratings but simpler programming at a lower purchase price,” Petty says. “Plus, with the high WEF scores you’re saving year in year out.”

To keep the cost down, Hayward removed the programming display you see on its variable-speed pumps. While you can still choose different speeds, there aren’t as many options — and it’s all done with one button.

“In a lot of cases, once you program the pump you may not need to change it that often,” Petty says.

With the XE series, the pool professional can choose the correct size pump — whether it be a TriStar, SuperPump or MaxFlo — install it for the customer, program it and probably not have to think about it again.

“To keep a pool clean, you just need to keep the water moving and that’s typically at a lower speed,” Petty says. With an XE, for example, the pump can be set to run for four hours on high at night when the noise won’t bother anyone, and can be set to low during the day when electricity costs may be higher.

Like the company’s VSP pumps, the XE series has an override button that automatically sends the pump to high speed.

“So a servicer, when they need to backwash or vacuum the pool, they don’t have to go in and reprogram it,” Petty says. “They just hit the button.”

Hayward designed the XE to be a drop-in replacement without the extra programming box on top of the pump. And because of the motor technology used, the XE series is also lighter compared to the VSP pumps as well.

The release of the XE pumps comes on the tail of another announcement: the company’s 2021 Energy Star award for excellence in product design for its pumps. It’s the first time Energy Star has recognized a pool company for product development. “Hayward had the highest WEF in the industry,” Petty says. “As an industry we are about what’s new — the variable-speed drive, the motor — but it comes back to the plumbing. The wet end is what’s unique from company A vs. company B. Our hydraulic designs separate us and allow us to be more efficient.” Petty says this new generation of pumps, whether VSP or XE, mean the customer is not sacrificing performance for efficiency. “WEF is flow divided by power,” he says. “The more flow for the same amount of power, or less power for the same amount of flow you get a higher rating. That’s where our hydraulic designs come into play. The motor provides the input, but we have to provide the output, which is moving the water. So we’re very effective at generating performance.”