Smart Home Sprinkler Automatically Adjusts for the Right Amount of Water

I think the majority of us live with smartphones and tablets, and we all use them every day.  We use them to watch Netflix and play Candy Crush, text and some may actually even use them to call people, but did you know you can manage your home sprinkle system with your phone or tablet?  It’s true!

Summertime means heat and sunshine for many areas around the country. Of the estimated 29 billion gallons of water used daily by households in the United States, nearly 9 billion gallons, or 30%, is devoted to outdoor water use, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In the summer months, a household’s outdoor water use can be as high as 70 percent.  Green Mountain Energy, a provider of cleaner electricity and renewable energy products, has introduced a new  Pollution Free™ WaterSaver 24 plan that is available to homeowners in Texas who sign up for Green Mountain Energy.   If you’re a Texas resident, choose 100% wind energy with Pollution Free^TM WaterSaver* plan with Rachio Iro and receive a free Rachio Iro smart sprinkler controller** for your automatic sprinkler system. The plan is aimed to help you save money and protect the environment.The Wi-Fi enabled Rachio Iro smart sprinkler controller automatically adjusts for the right amount of water and can help save up to 30% of water usage in the homeowner’s yard.   The 16-zone sprinkler system is managed through an app on your smartphone or tablet, so you can control it from the comfort of anywhere in the world with a button press.

Green Mountain Energy offered us the opportunity to receive and review the Rachio Iro smart home sprinkler.  When it arrived I was going out of town and so I left the installation in the capable hands of my husband.  If you’re wondering how hard it is and how many hours it is going to take setting this sprinkler controller up,  let me assure you it’s actually quite easy and won’t take more than a couple of hours at most.

Removing your old sprinkler controller and putting the new Rachio Iro control box in is simple.  That took my husband all of 15 minutes to complete. To complete the set up you download the app to your phone or tablet (Android or iTunes) and then connect via a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (it’s very clear in the instructions that it won’t work with a 5 GHz system).  This step can be a bit finicky, because it uses the mobile device to produce a series of flashing lights to program the unit through infrared.  You may not have not have any difficulties doing that, but it took my husband repeated attempts to finally get it to work.

Once it is set up, then you manage your watering schedule through the app.  There is a set up wizard on the app that guides you through your zones and the different types of landscape you may be watering (grass, shrubs, the slope of the grading, the soil, sunlight, shade, etc.) and then it uses that information to determine how long to water each zone.

You can also couple the programming with water sensors if your sprinkler system has them to create an even more advanced and customized environment.  If it doesn’t, the Rachio Iro can use the weather forecast to determine whether your yard would need watering based on the rainfall.  The Rachio Iro is EPA WaterSense certified, so rebates are available nationwide.

You can also get facts like how many gallons of water you are using each month.  Also should your home lose power the controller box remembers the last schedule that was in place so you don’t have to worry about your lawn being brown when you get home from vacation due to the controller box being interrupted.

Whether you’re in Texas or not, Green Mountain Energy wants to share these 8 Tips for Conserving Water that everyone can use!

We sometimes take water for granted. Most days we turn on the faucet and don’t think twice. But what happens in the event of a drought? How can we water the lawn, take a shower, or do the dishes while conserving water?

According to the National Center for Environmental Information, about 20% of the United States were experiencing moderate to extreme drought last month.

In the event of a drought, we should be aware of ways to conserve water. Using water wisely can also help save money on your utility bill and nurture green spaces.

To promote the conservation of water all year long, we’ve come up with tips you can apply to your daily routine:

1. When washing dishes by hand, instead of letting the water run, fill the sink or a large container and then rinse your dishes once they’ve all been scrubbed.
2. Operate the dishwasher (and laundry!) only when full and loaded
3. Take showers instead of baths, and try to keep it quick!
4. Turn off the water while you are shaving, washing your face or brushing your teeth.
5. Install a smart sprinkler, such as the Rachio Iro, which can read weather patterns and help you water only when necessary.
6. Give your pet a bath on a patch of grass that needs some extra love.
7. Use a rain barrel to harvest rainwater from gutters to use for gardens and lawns.
8. Keep your faucets turned off and make sure they’re not leaking – one drip every second adds up to 5 gallons per day.

What kind of methods do you use around your home to save water?

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More about Green Mountain Energy
Green Mountain is the nation’s longest serving renewable energy retailer and believes in using wind, sun and water for good. The company was founded in 1997 with the mission to “change the way power is made.” Green Mountain offers consumers and businesses the choice of cleaner electricity products from renewable sources, as well as a variety of carbon offset products and sustainable solutions for businesses. One of Green Mountain’s largest customers is the “world’s most famous office building,” the Empire State Building in New York City. Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid more than 37.7 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

*How does Pollution Free WaterSaver help the environment?  The benefits are two-fold! First, the energy you use will be pollution-free, made from 100% wind. By choosing Pollution Free WaterSaver electricity, you can help reduce your household’s share of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and help fight climate change. Choosing clean, renewable electricity helps encourage the development and continued operation of renewable, pollution-free generation facilities.

**Residential customers in Green Mountain’s service territories in Texas are eligible to enroll.  Whether you’re a current Green Mountain customer or haven’t yet joined their community, they’d be thrilled to enroll you on their Pollution Free WaterSaver 24 plan.  Just visit www.greenmountainenergy.com/rachio and enter your zip code.  If you’re already a customer, just give them a call and they’ll make it happen.  Check out Rachio’s products on their Specialty Store.