Keeping your landscape vibrant throughout the year is an important aspect of managing a commercial property or business in the Denver area. Although the Front Range has been spared from the rough drought conditions plaguing much of the state west of the Continental Divide, it’s still vital that we conserve as much water as possible.
Many people around the country have started making the switch to smart sprinkler systems – not only for their homes, but their businesses as well. In dry climates like Colorado, the advantages of smart irrigation are incredibly beneficial. This is especially true for commercial property managers who are looking to make a big impact in their property’s water usage, appearance, and bottom line.
Here are 5 key ways that smart irrigation can improve your Colorado business or commercial property:
5 Ways That Smart Sprinkler Systems Can Benefit Your Commercial Property
Smart Sprinklers Optimize Outdoor Water Usage
The EPA estimates that as much as 50% of irrigation water is lost (i.e. wasted) due to evaporation, wind, and runoff caused by unoptimized sprinkler systems and inefficient watering methods. Smart irrigation systems will help your business or commercial property use water more efficiently, saving millions of precious gallons of water per year by utilizing several innovative features:
- Predictive and/or Real-Time weather monitoring ensures that your sprinklers won’t run if it’s going to rain, if it’s very windy, or in sub-zero temperatures
- Rain sensors track how much rain has fallen, and for how long, factoring that into your sprinkler usage to reduce watering times accordingly.
- Flow meters (aka flow sensors) monitor the system for leaks or no-flow zones. Depending on the severity, it’s estimated that one leaky or broken sprinkler head can waste as much as 25,000 gallons of water over 6 months! When flow meters do detect an issue, they signal the controller to immediately shut off the water supply.
Even the smallest commercial properties use much more water than the average house. By switching to smart sprinkler systems, your commercial property will be able to save every drop of water possible.
Smart Sprinklers Can Make a Huge Dent In Your Property’s Water Bill
While not as costly as wages, commercial rent/mortgage, and other recurring business expenses, your commercial water bill can still take a large chunk out of your wallet every month – especially in dry climates like Colorado. The cost of water is rising faster than any other utility cost in the US, and it’s estimated that anywhere between 50-70% of a business’ monthly water usage goes towards outdoor irrigation.
As a byproduct of conserving as much water as possible, smart sprinkler systems help keep your water bill as low as possible. Most estimates place the potential savings anywhere from 20-50%! This can easily lead to hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of savings per year for your business, making it well worth the cost of upgrading to a smart system. This is especially true for people who manage large (or even multiple) properties, where the savings can really add up.
Real-time Adjustments Ensure Your Commercial Landscape Thrives
Did you know that the #1 cause of landscape loss isn’t underwatering, but overwatering? Overwatering can cause grass to wilt and lead to fungus, root rot, pest problems, and soil erosion due to runoff. Overwatering can also lead to hardscape damage over time that can be unsightly to customers and may be costly to repair. This can be especially problematic for bigger properties with a lot of square footage of grass and/or concrete.
In addition to weather monitoring and rain sensors, many smart sprinklers utilize moisture sensors placed down in the soil at the root level of your plants. These sensors check the soil hundreds of times per day, providing readings that the controller uses to adjust how much water each area is receiving. This makes sure that each zone is receiving exactly the amount of water it needs to stay vibrant and healthy, even during the hottest summer days.
You’ve put a lot of time, effort, and money into your landscaping – make sure your sprinklers do their part to keep your property beautiful.
Smart Systems Quickly Alert Users About Issues – Saving Time and Money
As mentioned above, some smart systems incorporate flow meters or sensors into the system. These alert the controller about leaks or when zones aren’t getting any water flow, which can be caused by clogged or damaged sprinkler heads, broken lines underground, or other issues. Instead of having the system leak or not deliver water for a week or two before being noticed, flow sensors immediately signal the controller to shut off the water supply and alert the user that repairs are needed. The faster these issues are addressed, the more time, money, and water is saved, greatly reducing the risk of unwanted surprises on your water bill.
Access Your Smart Sprinkler System From Anywhere
One of the best features of smart sprinkler systems is the fact that you can access and adjust your system on the go via WiFi (or sometimes Bluetooth). Smartphone apps keep the controls within arm’s reach at all times, perfect for the busy property manager who doesn’t always have time to stop by and access the controller box in-person. Smart sprinklers offer intuitive features that allow you to:
- Remotely monitor your smart sprinkler system
- Manually set watering schedules, or let the system create one automatically
- Look up weather forecasts and/or get real-time weather updates at your property’s location
- Link up multiple systems (i.e. multiple locations) and control them all from one device via the cloud – making them perfect for people who manage multiple properties
- While some smart sprinkler apps only report estimated water use, other apps go a step beyond and offer water audit tools
Looking to Make the Switch to Smart Sprinklers at Your Dever Business or Commercial Property?
Our irrigation system techs at GroundMasters Landscape Services have the expertise to install a new smart sprinkler system so that your property can take advantage of all the benefits they bring. In addition to our sprinkler system services, we also offer lawncare & maintenance, landscape enhancements, tree & shrub care, storm cleanup, and even snow & ice removal so that we can provide year-round grounds management. To see what GroundMasters can do for your Denver-area business or commercial property, give us a call today at (303) 750-8867 or get in touch with us online today to get started.