Welcome to the Hessenauer Sprinkler Repair and Irrigation blog and website. We like to provide our online readers with news, tips and advice concerning sprinkler irrigation here in Orlando and Central Florida. Today we would like to give more understanding to July 2015, designated this year as Smart Irrigation Month.
Smart Irrigation Month is a public awareness campaign to promote efficient water use. Before learning how to use water efficiently, it is important to understand what smart water usage looks like. When using the word “smart” to define a watering practice, or any other energy use, it usually means two things: 1. It conserves the resource (avoids waste) and, 2. Considers the regional and global impact of use. Efficiency and saving are the two main goals of “smart” usage.
Smart Irrigation Month promotes efficient water usage for home and business owners. The average residence uses about 150,000 gallons of water a year. A little over half is for outdoor use and most of that amount is used in a six to seven month period, some 375 gallons a day. Smart irrigation can reduce this amount by about 15%, translating to 60 gallons/day or 12,000 gallons/year. The US has recently experienced drought along the west coast, extending to Colorado, so implementing smart irrigation practices is extremely important
The Irrigation Association defines “smart controllers” as controllers that reduce outdoor water use by monitoring and using information about site conditions and applying the right amount of water based on those factors”.
Smart irrigation saves money on the utility bill, nurtures green spaces that deliver real environmental benefits, protects your community’s water supply for generations to come, minimize overwatering and puts every drop to use by minimizing evaporation and waste.
Large turf areas tend to be the water hogs. Removal or reduction of turf is key to creating an efficient lawn. There are many options such as shrub beds, hardscapes, rock or mulch beds, etc. Plant right, water wisely, maintain and upgrade your irrigation system and work with an irrigation professional.
Smart irrigation practices require frequent adjustments to the watering schedule based on the weather. Most people set their schedules in the spring and leave it the same all year. Schedules should be adjusted at least month to month. Rainbird, one of our preferred irrigation systems, offers 25 Ways to Save Water on their website. Check out their water-saving tips and join us in celebrating Smart Irrigation Month!
Again, thank you for visiting the Hessenauer Sprinkler Repair and Irrigation blog and website. If you are in the Central Florida or Orlando area with a sprinkler irrigation project to discuss, contact us at 407-302-2227 today!