With Earth Day fast approaching, it is a great time to discuss Smart Water Management. You have probably heard this term used when discussing commercial irrigation but what exactly is a Smart Water Management System?
Smart Water Management is essentially a system designed to gather meaningful and actionable data to ensure that your commercial irrigation is managing your water usage as effectively as possible on your commercial property. Smart Water Management uses information, communication technology, real-time data, and responses as an integral part of the solution for water management challenges. The potential application of smart systems in water management is wide and includes solutions for water quality, water quantity, efficient irrigation, leaks, pressure and flow, floods, droughts, and much more.
Smart Water Management in commercial landscaping includes a smart irrigation controller. Simply stated, a smart irrigation controller, or timer, has built-in water-saving features. These features include the use of an onsite or remote weather station to provide the data for the controller to optimize sprinkler run time based on the local weather conditions. Smart controllers help to provide a healthy, beautiful commercial landscape while reducing water use. This not only saves water but also reduces costs for the commercial property.
The most important part of an irrigation system is the “brains”– the controller. Like the dashboard of a car, you need to have critical information provided to you in order to drive. Sadly, conventional controllers do not have the technology to give you the feedback, visibility, and control needed to run your system efficiently. Smart irrigation controllers adjust watering to meet the plants changing needs for water throughout the year, unlike a typical watering schedule that is commonly not changed at all. Smart irrigation controllers use weather readings, like temperature and rainfall, to develop the optimum watering schedule for the plants and turf. By making 365 annual adjustments smart irrigation controllers save 30-60% of water usage, improve plant health and beauty, eliminate runoff, and put an end to watering worries.
A smart controller is part of a properly designed, installed, operated, and maintained smart irrigation system. The timer is responsible for activating each valve and for the amount of water applied to the landscape. It is important that an irrigation professional installs a smart controller to ensure it is set up properly for the water requirements of the landscape.
Lawn Management Company is a premier partner with Weathermatic. Their smart water technology allows us to provide the best in smart water management to our clients. This partnership also enables us to provide a smart water system to new irrigation systems or in addition to an existing system with no upfront costs and a minimal monthly fee per controller being monitored. The monthly dollars saved from less water usage far out weights the minimal monitoring cost. On average, our clients see anywhere from a 20%-30% reduction in annual water usage!
Smart irrigation is not only convenient and cost-effective, but it’s also simply the right thing to do. Water is becoming more and more scarce. Up to 70% of the world’s water consumption is used for irrigation. It is not surprising that this is also where most of the water withdrawals are wasted. Up to half of the water we use for irrigation is wasted due to inefficient irrigation methods. With smart irrigation, you’ll be doing a favor to yourself!
