While having a nice green lawn is great, and can help us enjoy spending time outdoors, being conscious of our impact on the environment and consumption of resources is equally important. Did you know that irrigation is the largest consumer of freshwater worldwide? Of course most of this is for commercial purposes, but it’s still important to keep our own consumption in mind. We can all agree that water is a precious resource that is only becoming more scarce as the years pass because of pollution, chemical contamination, and drought. While this can be concerning, there’s so much that we can do as individuals to help reverse these factors and begin to push things in the right direction.
Update Your Irrigation System
Older residential irrigation systems are extremely inefficient with their water use. Because of their simplicity, about half of all the water they use is lost to wind, evaporation, and runoff. But recent advances in technology have really made an impact on the efficiency of newer irrigation systems in the past few years. Not only do these systems help conserve water, but chances are they will improve the health of your lawn at the same time. These “smart” irrigation systems can adapt to a variety of different conditions and will ensure you aren’t over watering your property and wasting water.
Adjust Your Seasonal Settings
Because of the higher rainfall throughout the spring, and the lower temperatures in early fall, these months require much less water than June, July, and August when we receive peak heat and minimal rainfall. Some newer smart irrigation systems have built in seasonal clocks to adjust the amount of water they deliver to each part of your lawn. Even if you don’t have one of these newer systems, you still might be able to adjust the output for spring and fall so that you aren’t over drenching your lawn and wasting water. Still, some legacy irrigation systems don’t even offer this option. If you are passionate about saving water in this capacity, it really is worth updating your system for the savings you’ll get year after year.
Utilize Weather & Moisture Sensors
Both weather and moisture sensors can make your life so much easier by feeding data directly to your system. An internet connected weather sensor can use local weather data about temperature and rainfall to adjust how much water your lawn might need on any given day. A moisture sensor works in a very similar manner but detects the amount of moisture right in your own lawn and adjusts the water output accordingly.
Contact Berardi Irrigation
If you find your old system is wasting water, reach out to us for an estimate on a newer more efficient irrigation system. You’ll thank yourself later when you save on your water bill, and help the environment at the same time. Give us a call at (781) 828-2029 or contact us here.
