Get Smart!

Greystar apartment managers across the country are getting smart – smart controllers, that is. Smart controllers for irrigation systems can save apartment communities thousands of dollars this spring and summer. Smart controllers are more than just simple sprinkler timers. They take into account a number of other factors: location, weather, soil and turf type, to name a few. Smart controllers cost more upfront, but the payback is higher, too.

Smart controllers helped Greystar’s Saratoga Ridge apartment community save $23,000 of water in the first summer they were used. And Greystar’s Casa Caranza apartments saved enough money to pay for their entire system in six months with smart controllers. Greystar’s Regional Manager Amy Foley requested smart irrigation controller bids on all of her Washington, D.C. and Virginia area apartment communities to help her clients and owners budget smart for sustainability projects to be implemented in 2014, creating a financial payback for years to come.

Studies show that up to 25-50% of irrigation water is wasted. The first step to managing this water expense is to measure the usage, so the irrigation system should be on a separate meter.  If the irrigation system is separately metered, the expense can be tracked through the monthly water bill. Also if the system is separately metered, most localities don’t charge sewer costs on water from irrigation meters, so this provides some additional savings. 

To get started, call now and talk to a local landscaping company about irrigation management before spring. They should be able to help you find plenty of ways to reduce your water costs and make your irrigation system work more efficiently. Combining smart controller with new low-flow and high efficiency sprinkler heads should really produce some savings. And don’t forget to check for cash rebates from DSIRE and Watersense in your area. Get smart this year!

Here are some smart landscape design tips to help you save water at your home or property this year.