Technology improves irrigation efficiency
Up to 70% of residential water use in the Valley occurs outdoors, yet much of that water is wasted due to over-watering landscapes. There are two primary reasons for this:
1.Many homeowners do not adjust their irrigation schedules to match landscape water needs based on the season.
2.No matter how efficient an irrigation controller's watering schedule is, it still does not take into account changing weather conditions – specifically evapotranspiration (ET) and rainfall. ET is the amount of water lost from the soil through evaporation plus the plant's water loss, both of which are dramatically affected by weather conditions.
Traditional vs. "smart" controllers
Irrigation equipment manufacturers developed this smart irrigation technology to address the issues above and to improve irrigation efficiencies.
Features |
Traditional controller |
"Smart" controller |
Automated watering system |
X |
X |
Automatic shutoff when raining |
|
X |
Automatically determines watering schedule based on weather conditions |
|
X |
Does not require seasonal monitoring/changes |
|
X |
Uses up to 20% less water |
|
X |
EPA WaterSense-labeled |
|
X |