TL;DR
A variable-speed pump is a pool circulation pump driven by a programmable permanent-magnet motor that runs at whatever RPM each task needs, slow for daily filtration, faster for cleaners, heaters, and water features. Because pumping power falls with the cube of speed, running long hours at low RPM cuts electricity use 50 to 80 percent against a single-speed unit, often paying back in a season or two.
What it means
A variable-speed pump is a pool circulation pump driven by a programmable permanent-magnet motor that runs at whatever RPM each task needs, slow for daily filtration, faster for cleaners, heaters, and water features. Because pumping power falls with the cube of speed, running long hours at low RPM cuts electricity use 50 to 80 percent against a single-speed unit, often paying back in a season or two. Federal DOE efficiency rules effectively ended single-speed sales for most inground pool sizes in 2021, and utilities frequently layer rebates on top.
Where it sits in the glossary
Variable-speed pump is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
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See also
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