The practical applications of variable speed technology have a direct effect on the builder. Perhaps the most radical difference is in energy savings. Stiles says that initial field-testing of the IntelliFlo has shown drastic energy savings: "The average that we saw — testing over about 50 pools — was as high as 90 percent. Some were higher, some were lower, but we could take an electric bill that averaged about $100 and knock it down to about $5 or $6." The Ikeric variable-speed pump, which has been on the market for two years, shows similarly encouraging results. "The energy savings is phenomenal, says Hornsby. "The average energy savings that we've found over the last two years is 68 percent over a normal energy-efficient pump. We claim up to 90 percent, but that's a very few projects, and the average is 68 percent."
     The manufacturers aren't the only ones raving about their inventions. Skip Phillips, principle of Questar in Escondido, Calif., and a co-founder of Genesis 3 Design Group, recently installed an Ikeric pump on a complex renovation project that included about 200 feet of perimeter overflow and a 12-foot vanishing edge. "Standard amperage draw on a 3-horsepower pump is about 14.5 amps. The Ikeric pump was drawing 1 amp," says Phillips. "That means that that pump can run 14 hours for the same price that it used to run one. And it's overflowing the pool. It was impossible to believe. What I felt, after I looked at this, is that I was literally seeing the future." Phillips adds that an IntelliFlo system is being shipped to his home where he plans to try it on his own pool.
     The energy savings come not only from the pure efficiency of the motor, but also from the way it can be used in a given setting. Dave Anderson, a partner at Colorado Poolscapes in Glenwood Springs, Colo., often has to deal with harsh weather conditions high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. He has installed an IntelliFlo pump on a small pool with a negative edge and a waterfall.