Slow and steady wins the energy race.

Yes — run the pump at the lowest speed that still does the job, and set the timer for the minimum runtime needed to keep the water clean.

The magic of a variable-speed pump is that power consumption drops with the cube of speed. Cut the speed in half, and you use roughly one-eighth the power. That means running it longer at low speed uses far less electricity than a short burst at high speed. Most people blast their pools when they barely need to.

For a typical pool, you only need to turn over the water once per day. At low speed, that might take 8–12 hours. At high speed, maybe 4–6 hours — but the energy bill is dramatically higher. So set your timer to run during off-peak electric hours (usually overnight or early morning), and let it chug along at the lowest rpm that still keeps your skimmer working and water moving.

If you’re not sure, start with 8 hours at 1200 rpm. Check water clarity and adjust down from there. You’ll likely find you can go lower.

Your pump will last longer,