Pentair IntelliFlo vs IntelliFlo3: Watts, WEF and Cost

In the Pentair IntelliFlo vs IntelliFlo3 comparison, the two are almost tied on certified efficiency, and the real difference is size. The IntelliFlo3 VSF is a slightly smaller pump, 1.735 hydraulic horsepower against the IntelliFlo VS's 1.883, and draws about 9% less power at its high test point while moving about 2 gallons per minute less. Measured against their own class minimums, the two clear the bar by 1.335 and 1.345 times respectively.

So the choice between them is mostly about how much flow your pool needs, how many hours you run fast, and which controls you want, not about efficiency on paper. Here are the certified numbers side by side, what they cost on a range of schedules, and where the smaller IntelliFlo 1.5 VSF fits.

Pentair IntelliFlo vs IntelliFlo3: certified figures

From the ENERGY STAR certified records retrieved 17 October 2026. The certified list writes the newer models in capitals, as INTELLIFLO 3 VSF and INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF, and that is how this site's model pages show them. Each model appears under several listings, but all listings of each model share the same measured values.

	IntelliFlo VS	INTELLIFLO 3 VSF	INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF
Rated hydraulic horsepower	1.883	1.735	0.896
Rated motor horsepower on record	3.95	3	1.5
Reported WEF	6.9	7.1	9.4
Class minimum WEF	5.13	5.32	6.84
WEF ÷ minimum	1.345	1.335	1.374
Low-speed point	114.79 W @ 31.24 gpm	119.35 W @ 31.19 gpm	124.40 W @ 31.17 gpm
High-speed point	1,295.05 W @ 77.49 gpm	1,176.60 W @ 75.52 gpm	659.47 W @ 60.46 gpm
Standby	4 W	6 W	7 W
First qualified	29 Oct 2020	20 Jan 2022	2 Mar 2023

Three takeaways:

1. At low speed they are effectively the same. 114.79 W against 119.35 W at the same 31 gpm is a 4.6 W gap, about 30 cents a month at 12 hours a day.
2. At high speed the IntelliFlo3 draws less, partly because it is smaller. It uses 118 fewer watts for about 2 gpm less flow. Per watt-hour at the high point, it moves about 3.85 gallons against the IntelliFlo VS's 3.59.
3. The raw WEF favors IntelliFlo3, the class-adjusted figure barely favors IntelliFlo VS. Because the larger pump faces a lower minimum, the two land within 1% of each other.

Every certified listing

These are the certified records for each model, with the model number each publishes. Records in the same group share every measured value.

Group	Listing on the certified record	Model number
IntelliFlo VS, 1.883 hhp	Pentair IntelliFlo VS	EC-011028
	Pentair IntelliFlo VS + SVRS	011057
	Pentair IntelliFlo VS + SVRS	EC-011057
	Pentair IntelliFlo VSF	011056
	Pentair Shasta IntelliFlo VSF	S-011056
	Pentair IntelliPro VS + SVRS	013002
INTELLIFLO 3 VSF, 1.735 hhp	Pentair INTELLIFLO 3 VSF	011075
	Pentair INTELLIFLO 3 VSF, IO BOARD	011076
	Pentair INTELLIFLO 3 VSF, TS HMI	011077
	Pentair INTELLIFLO 3 VSF, IO BOARD AND TS HMI	011078
	STA-RITE INTELLIPRO 3 VSF	013075
	STA-RITE INTELLIPRO 3 VSF, IO BOARD	013076
	STA-RITE INTELLIPRO 3 VSF, TS HMI	013077
	STA-RITE INTELLIPRO 3 VSF, IO BOARD AND TS HMI	013078
INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF, 0.896 hhp	Pentair INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF	011065
	Pentair INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF, IO Relay BOARD	011066
	Pentair INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF, Touchscreen HMI	011067
	Pentair INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF, IO BOARD AND TS HMI	011068
	STA-RITE INTELLIPRO 1.5 VSF Black 1.5hp	013065
	STA-RITE INTELLIPRO 1.5 VSF, IO BOARD	013066
	STA-RITE INTELLIPRO 1.5 VSF, TS HMI	013067
	STA-RITE INTELLIPRO 1.5 VSF, IO BOARD AND TS HMI	013068

The partner's "PMP " order prefix is dropped from the listing names, as on the rest of this site. Note that the older IntelliFlo VSF, model 011056, is in the IntelliFlo VS group on test data. It is a different pump from the INTELLIFLO 3 VSF despite the similar name.

The model numbers follow a visible pattern on the certified list: the Pentair listings of the two newer models are numbered 01106x and 01107x, and the matching STA-RITE listings 01306x and 01307x, with the last digit changing for each control option. If a pump in front of you carries one of these numbers, this table tells you which certified group it belongs to.

Running cost compared

Ten hours a day at the low-speed point, two hours at high, standby for the rest of the day, 30 days at the July 2026 U.S. average of 18.31¢/kWh. The schedule is this site's stated assumption, not a measurement.

Pump	kWh per day	Per month	Per 180-day season
Pentair IntelliFlo VS	3.786	$20.80	$124.78
Pentair INTELLIFLO 3 VSF	3.619	$19.88	$119.27
Pentair INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF	2.647	$14.54	$87.24

The IntelliFlo3 saves under a dollar a month over the IntelliFlo VS on this schedule. On a schedule with no high-speed running, the IntelliFlo VS is actually the cheaper of the two by about 40 cents a month, because its low-speed draw and standby are lower.

How the hours at high speed change the answer

The gap between the two depends almost entirely on how long you run fast. Here are the three pumps on a 12-hour running day, with the hours split between the high and low test points, plus standby for the other 12 hours.

Hours at high (rest at low)	IntelliFlo VS	INTELLIFLO 3 VSF	INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF
0	$7.83	$8.26	$8.66
1	$14.31	$14.07	$11.60
2	$20.80	$19.88	$14.54
3	$27.28	$25.68	$17.48
4	$33.76	$31.49	$20.42

With no fast running, the order reverses and the IntelliFlo VS is cheapest of the three. From one hour of fast running upward, the IntelliFlo3 pulls ahead of the IntelliFlo VS, by about $1.35 a month for every two extra high-speed hours. The 1.5 VSF is cheapest whenever there is any fast running, because its high-speed draw is about half the others'.

Water moved, not just watts

The larger pumps also move more water at their high point. On the 10-plus-2-hour schedule, the IntelliFlo VS moves about 28,043 gallons a day, the INTELLIFLO 3 VSF about 27,776 and the INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF about 25,957. The difference between the two big pumps is about 1%, which no pool owner would notice. The 1.5 VSF moves about 7% less, a gap that matters only if your pool truly needs the larger pumps' top flow.

If the IntelliFlo 1.5 VSF's flow is enough, it costs about $5.30 to $6.30 a month less than the larger models on the 10-plus-2 schedule. The turnover calculator tells you the flow to aim for, and the energy cost calculator prices your own schedule.

A full year, and the standby share

For a pool that runs every day of the year on the 10-plus-2-hour schedule at 18.31¢/kWh, the IntelliFlo VS comes to about $253.02, the INTELLIFLO 3 VSF about $241.84 and the INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF about $176.90.

Standby is a small part of that. Twelve idle hours a day all year cost about $3.21 at the IntelliFlo VS's 4 W, $4.81 at the INTELLIFLO 3 VSF's 6 W and $5.61 at the INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF's 7 W. The standby difference between the two big pumps, about $1.60 a year, is comparable to a single month's difference in their high-speed running on this schedule, about $1.30.

How they compare with other pumps of the same size

Pentair's two large pumps sit among a crowded group of certified designs between about 1.7 and 1.9 hhp. Priced on the same 10-plus-2-hour schedule, including published standby:

Pump	hhp	WEF ÷ minimum	Low-speed W	High-speed W	Per month
Jandy VS PlusHP (1.697 hhp record)	1.697	1.361	123.03	1,105.96	$19.37
Pentair INTELLIFLO 3 VSF	1.735	1.335	119.35	1,176.60	$19.88
Hayward TriStar XL / HCP 3000 (1.797 hhp)	1.797	1.370	123.63	1,216.68	$20.36
Hayward TriStar VS / EcoStar SVRS (1.817 hhp)	1.817	1.392	117.42	1,203.66	$19.87
Aquagem MOOV AI MP3AI	1.860	1.345	145.20	1,213.60	$21.64
Pentair IntelliFlo VS	1.883	1.345	114.79	1,295.05	$20.80

Every pump in the group lands within about $2.30 a month of the others on this schedule. At this size the choice among brands is mostly about controls, compatibility and price, not running cost.

The IO board and touchscreen listings

The INTELLIFLO 3 VSF and INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF each appear on the certified list in several versions: plain, with an IO board, with a touchscreen, or with both. All versions of each model share the same measured values, so the choice between them has no effect on the certified efficiency or running cost. It is purely a question of how you want to control the pump and what it needs to connect to.

Gallons per kilowatt-hour on a real schedule

WEF is measured on the test's own weighting of speeds. On this site's 10-plus-2-hour schedule, the same figure works out as gallons moved per kilowatt-hour used, standby included:

Pump	Gallons per day	kWh per day	Gallons per kWh
Pentair IntelliFlo VS	28,043	3.786	7,407
Pentair INTELLIFLO 3 VSF	27,776	3.619	7,676
Pentair INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF	25,957	2.647	9,806

On this schedule the IntelliFlo3 moves about 4% more water per kWh than the IntelliFlo VS, and the 1.5 VSF about 32% more. The more of the day spent at low speed, the closer the three get, because their low-speed draws are so similar.

When the older IntelliFlo VS still makes sense

The IntelliFlo VS is the earliest of the three on the certified list, first qualified in October 2020. On the figures it is not outclassed. It has the lowest low-speed draw of the three, the lowest standby of the three, and the highest flow at its high test point. For a pool that runs almost entirely at low speed and needs the most top-end flow for occasional features, it is the cheapest of the three to run. The case for the IntelliFlo3 rests on its lower high-speed draw and on its controls, which the certified record does not describe.

What the certified data does not cover

The records do not compare features. Controls, app support, automation compatibility, priming behavior, noise and warranty all differ between product generations and are not measured on the test. Each record does carry a "connected functionality" field; it reads "No" for every IntelliFlo VS and INTELLIFLO 3 VSF listing except the older IntelliFlo VSF, model 011056. Pentair's product literature, not this field, is the place to check what each pump's controls can do.

Which to choose

• Choose by flow first. The IntelliFlo VS reaches 77.49 gpm at its high test point, the INTELLIFLO 3 VSF 75.52. If neither difference matters to your pool, the energy gap is negligible.
• If you run long at high speed for features like waterfalls or a spa, the IntelliFlo3's lower high-speed draw adds up, as the hours table shows.
• If you rarely run fast, the older IntelliFlo VS is marginally cheaper to run.
• If your pool needs less flow, the INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF is the most efficient of the three against its class, and the cheapest to run with any fast hours.

For how Pentair compares with Hayward at these sizes, see Hayward vs Pentair variable speed pump.

Summary

• Size: IntelliFlo VS 1.883 hhp, INTELLIFLO 3 VSF 1.735 hhp, INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF 0.896 hhp.
• Low speed: all three draw 115 to 124 W at about 31 gpm; effectively a tie.
• High speed: the INTELLIFLO 3 VSF draws 118 W less than the IntelliFlo VS for about 2 gpm less flow.
• Efficiency against class: 1.345, 1.335 and 1.374 times the minimum; the 1.5 VSF leads, the big two are within 1%.
• Monthly cost on 10 hours low and 2 high: $20.80, $19.88 and $14.54.
• Choose the IntelliFlo VS if you run almost entirely at low speed and want the most top-end flow; the INTELLIFLO 3 VSF if you run fast for several hours a day; the INTELLIFLO 1.5 VSF if its flow is enough for your pool.
• Sta-Rite INTELLIPRO listings are the same pumps on the test data.

Sources

• ENERGY STAR Certified Pool Pumps dataset, retrieved 17 October 2026: all Pentair and STA-RITE figures, listings, model numbers and qualification dates.
• EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3: July 2026 U.S. residential price, retrieved 17 October 2026.

On efficiency, Pentair IntelliFlo vs IntelliFlo3 is a near tie; pick the one whose flow suits your pool, and let your high-speed hours and the controls decide the rest.