Page 41 - AreaNewsletters "Dec 2020" issue

If your sprinkler controls look
like THIS...
Then it’s time to upgrade
to THIS...
schedule. Smart
sprinklers use a
variety of metrics
to determine how
fast the water will
evaporate from
your soil given
the info you tell
it about your yard.
They can break
up watering times
into smaller segments automatically to help the water soak in and reduce run-off. They can automatically calculate how to t all of this in before sunrise and adapt the schedule as that time changes over the course of a season.
At least when it comes to how best to water your lawn, your smart sprinkler is likely smarter than you – unless you’re a gardening or lawn expert. If so, you’ll be happy to know that the best of the bunch also allow you to nely tune the details of your yard such as root depth, the precise area of your zones and inches of water delivered per hour. Your smart sprinkler can be your lawn care expert, or it can collaborate with you if you are one.
All of the smarts, scheduling, and weather awareness add up to the biggest reason to upgrade to a smart sprinkler – it’ll save water and in turn save you money on your water bill. Smart sprinklers can cost anywhere from $100 to $280, but they’re likely to pay you back over the course of the next couple of summers.
Most are certi ed by the EPA’s Watersense program, which allows you to get rebates on your utility bill for using a smart sprinkler. The EPA gives those rebates because all of the smarts – from calculating how quickly water evaporates to monitoring when it’s going to rain -- help smart sprinklers keep your lawn healthy with less water wasted in the process.
6) Voice controls
Winter is a good time to smarten up your sprinklers
The practical advantages of saving water while spending less time fussing with your sprinkler comprise the main reasons to upgrade your old controller to an internet connected option, but smart sprinklers can be fun too. If you want to show off to your guests, try a voice-powered waterworks show.
Rachio works with both Amazon’s assistant Alexa, so you can control it with smart speakers like the Amazon Echo. Rachio also works with Google’s Alexa competitor called Google Assistant, so you can control your sprinklers by talking to your Google Home as well. Orbit’s smart sprinklers also work with both popular digital assistants, so you can start or stop your various zones with a voice command.
Call me to nd out which system I recommend and I’ll be happy to come install it for you.
Winter is a good time to upgrade your sprinkler timers to a WiFi based sprinkler timer that uses the latest technology for water e ciency.
Your Local Sprinkler Expert
5) Water savings
41
Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters • December 2020