The modern pool is a connected appliance. Today’s technology makes pools cheaper to run, easier to maintain, and controllable from your phone on the couch. Here’s what’s actually worth installing — and why we build most of it in from the start as a certified Pentair installer.
The biggest single upgrade in pool efficiency. Unlike old single-speed pumps that run flat-out, a variable-speed pump runs slow and quiet most of the time and only ramps up when needed — cutting pump energy use dramatically. They’re now the standard for new builds (and required by federal efficiency rules for most pump sizes), and they pay for themselves in energy savings.
An automation controller (like Pentair’s IntelliCenter) ties the whole pool together — pump, heater, lights, water features, and sanitizer — into one app. Set schedules, warm the spa before you get home, change the light color, and get freeze-protection automatically on a cold night. It’s the difference between managing a pool and simply enjoying one.
A salt system makes its own chlorine from a small amount of dissolved salt, so you handle far less stored chemical and get softer-feeling water. The chemistry is the same as a traditional pool (see our chemicals guide) — the cell just produces the chlorine for you, automatically.
A robotic cleaner scrubs the floor, walls, and waterline on its own, independent of your pump and filter. Newer connected models map the pool and schedule themselves. Smart chemistry sensors can even monitor your water and alert your phone when something drifts out of range.
Heat pumps (covered in our pool heating guide) and color LED lighting round out the modern pool — both low-energy, both controllable from automation. Together with a variable-speed pump, they make a pool that’s genuinely cheap to run.
Most of this technology is far cheaper to install during construction than to retrofit later. When we design your pool, we plan the plumbing, electrical, and automation for the equipment you want today and the upgrades you might add tomorrow. That’s the advantage of buying factory-direct from the people who actually build it.
The savings are real and stack up: a variable-speed pump slashes the single biggest energy cost of owning a pool; LED lighting runs for pennies; a heat pump heats efficiently; and automation makes sure nothing runs longer than it needs to. Together they turn a pool from an energy sink into an appliance that sips power.
The foundation is the automation controller — it ties pump, heater, lights, sanitizer, and water features into one app. From there you add the pieces that matter most to you: a salt system for less chemical handling, a robotic cleaner for less labor, smart sensors for hands-off chemistry. You don't have to do it all at once, but it's far cheaper if the plumbing and wiring are planned for it from day one.
When we build a pool, we lay out the equipment pad and run the conduit and plumbing for the gear you want today and the upgrades you might add later — an extra circuit for a future heater, capacity for more lights or features. That foresight is the quiet advantage of buying factory-direct from the people who actually build it.
A variable-speed pump — it cuts the biggest energy cost of owning a pool and is now standard on new builds. Automation is the next most valuable.
It ties your pump, heater, lights, water features, and sanitizer into one app — schedules, spa warm-ups, light scenes, and automatic freeze protection.
No — but it's far cheaper if the plumbing and wiring are planned for it from day one, which is how we design every build.
CraftYourPool designs and builds custom in-ground pools across Northeast Georgia from our home base in Braselton — factory-direct pricing, a full 3D design of your actual backyard before you commit, and pool-ready in 6–8 weeks. We’re a licensed Georgia residential contractor and certified Pentair installer. See financing options or get a free consultation — call (762) 425-9249.
