Pumps are one of the biggest costs of maintaining a pool, unfortunately we can't get by with out them.  We can't take away the pump.  We can take away the high cost of running them, though. With the new pumps coming out today we can save you hundreds of dollars on your electricity usage alone, which in turn reduces a demand for the electricity to be produced.  We have personally talked with representatives of PG&E and they would be more than glad to see unnecessary usage of electricity to be reduced. So much so that they are even giving rebates out with purchase of these VARIABLE SPEED pumps, pumps that use up to 32% less energy to run do to slower, more controlled speeds. He told me if everyone would switch to these new pumps they could shut down a whole power plant.  Which would be great for our enviroment  Even without the rebate, over just a short time these pumps will have saved you more than the initial cost.  Over the years it will save you thousands.  Don't just take my word for it.  Go to www.pentairpool.com.  They have a cost calculator there that you can use to see how much you can save.