Page 54 - Green Builder March-April 2016 Issue

THE INTERNET OF THINGS

Irrigation Keeps Getting Smarter

Intelligent controllers offer refined water management based in the cloud.

BY JULIET GRABLE CREDIT: RACHIO

I’LL NEVER FORGET completing my first On Command. The second generation of Rachio IRO smart controller builds on
four-zone irrigation system, which ran user-friendliness; its integration with Alexa lets users control it through voice commands.
off a battery-powered controller. When
I pushed a button, I heard a delightful
trickle as all of my landscaping plants
were watered simultaneously. That’s smart,
I thought. But today’s smart irrigation
controllers put my little system to shame.
Rather than running fixed schedules, they
adjust to changing conditions, delivering just
the right amount of water when and where
plants need it.
According to the EPA, WaterSense
irrigation controllers can save up to 120
billion gallons of water—and $435 million
in costs—annually. For the individual
homeowner, that’s 8,800 gallons per year.

CLOUD CONTROL controlled remotely.
“The big difference now is that the IRO can be controlled by an
Weather-based smart controllers use evapotranspiration (ET) rates
to calculate how much water plants need on a given day. ET is app on your phone,” says Chris Klein, CEO of Rachio. “It’s Internet-
the sum of the water lost from the soil through evaporation and connected, and the technology is in the cloud.”
through use by plants (transpiration). In simple terms, the water that
goes out must be replaced, either by rainfall or irrigation water. To Along with access, user-friendliness is an important selling point
make calculations, controllers can rely on sensors which take onsite in a crowded field. For example, the intuitive, graphical interface
measurements of temperature, humidity and rainfall, or they can for the BlueSpray controller allows the user to set up new zones by
access historic or real-time local weather data. Other smart controllers
adjust irrigation schedules based on direct measurements of soil Rebates and Incentives
moisture. Some do both. For example, Spruce, a just-released 16-zone
controller, relies on both weather forecasts and rainfall data and its Several municipalities offer rebates for smart or weather-based
own wireless soil moisture sensors to adjust schedules. Users can irrigation controllers. Not surprisingly, California has the most
specify landscape type for further refinement. programs in place. For example, the SoCal Water$mart program,
residential customers can qualify for an $80 rebate for a smart
Today’s most advanced smart controllers allow users to refine controller. Outside of the Golden State, Southern Nevada Water
irrigation schedules by adding detailed, zone-by-zone information, Authority customers can get a coupon that pays for half of a new
such as whether the ground is flat or sloped, sunny or shaded, the smart controller (up to $200).
types of sprinkler valves and they type and density plants in the
zone. Rachio IRO includes a SmartCycle feature, which adapts CyberRain, which offers several WaterSense-qualified controllers,
watering schedules based on soil type. For a clay soil, for example, maintains a database of rebates organized by state:
the controller delivers water in several cycles, to ensure it has time http://www.cyber-rain.com/rebates.html
to absorb the water. The newer controllers can also be accessed and

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