During the last few decades, focus on measures for energy conservation in buildings has increased considerably. The European Commission implemented the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which gave instructions to the member states about how to reduce energy consumption in residential and non-residential buildings. In the process of making the building sector more energy efficient, the building codes generally have become stricter with some simplifications applied in the requirements. For swimming facilities in Norway, these simplifications are undermining the purpose of the code by excluding the energy use related to the operation of swimming pools, which is the main part of the energy use in this building category. In other words, the energy use related to operation of the facility is not regulated. Furthermore, guidelines for the planning and operation of these types of facilities are outdated and research for this building category is sparse. These three aspects mean that there is a considerable potential for improvement. This paper presents a comprehensive literature review with bibliometric and thematic analyses of the contextualized research in swimming facilities from a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning perspective. It maps the major trends during the past few decades, where areas like solar heating for outdoor pools, energy consumption, and air quality stand out. Except for air quality and disinfection by-products, research on these facilities is highly fragmented without any strong contributors to the various fields.Graphical abstract

This paper presents a statistical model for predicting the time-averaged total power consumption of an indoor swimming facility. The model can be a powerful tool for continuous supervision of the facility’s energy performance that can quickly disclose possible operational disruptions/irregularities and thus minimize annual energy use. Multiple linear regression analysis is used to analyze data collected in a swimming facility in Norway. The resolution of the original training dataset was in 1 min time steps and during the investigation was transposed both by time-averaging the data, and by treating part of the dataset exclusively. The statistically significant independent variables were found to be the outdoor dry-bulb temperature and the relative pool usage factor. The model accurately predicted the power consumption in the validation process, and also succeeded in disclosing all the critical operational disruptions in the validation dataset correctly. The model can therefore be applied as a dynamic energy benchmark for fault detection in swimming facilities. The final energy prediction model is relatively simple and can be deployed either in a spreadsheet or in the building automation reporting system, thus the method can contribute instantly to keep the operation of any swimming facility within the optimal individual energy performance range.

Circulation of pool water via a treatment plant is critical for maintaining pool water in a condition that is a safe and attractive for bathers. It is also one of the pool operations that is most costly in terms of energy used and associated carbon footprint. In this study, we compare and contrast circulation rate guidelines developed for the UK and for other northern and southern European countries and, where possible, provide an explanation of the underlying rationale. We focus on the management of turbidity-forming material and Cryptosporidium oocysts. We reveal that the parameters used to assess safe operational bathing load are relatively consistent across Europe, based on physical space requirements for bathing and other constraints such as lifeguarding. Circulation rate, on the other hand, is based on either rule-based turnover times, or a more flexible approach based on the volume of water to be treated per bather. The latter offers scope for innovation and energy savings, with the proviso that safe water is maintained for bathers. The guidance in several countries suggests reducing circulation rate when the pool is not being used by bathers. We conclude that a more progressive risk-based approach to pool management, building on these findings, offers significant opportunities for pool operators to run pools better and should be a priority for future research.