Weather-Based
Landscape Irrigation
Controllers
EPA
Water Sense
t esidential outdoor water use in the United
r^ States accounts for more than 7 billion gallons
\ofwater each day, mainly for landscape irriga-
tion. Experts estimate that as much as half of this
water is wasted due to overwatering caused by
inefficiencies in irrigation methods and systems.
Cutting-edge irrigation control technologies can
significantly reduce overwatering by applying water
only when plants need it. WaterSense®, a partner-
ship program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), will help consumers and
facilities identify weather-based irrigation con-
trollers that can reduce water use in landscapes.
Weather-based irriga-
tion controllers use local
weather and landscape
conditions to tailor irri-
gation schedules to
actual conditions on the
site. Instead of irrigating
on a preset schedule set
by a clock timer controller, weather-based controllers
allow irrigation to more closely match plants'water
requirements. By using weather-based controllers
instead of standard clock timer controllers, home-
owners, businesses, and organizations would no
longer need to worry about sprinklers automatically
operating when landscapes don't need water.
End Overwatering
Many homeowners and facility managers set their
irrigation systems to water according to the hottest,
driest month of the year, usually July. Throughout the
year, the schedule is left untouched, resulting in a
system that applies the same amount of water to the
landscape in the winter as in the summer. This leads
to periods of extreme overwatering.
By using a scheduling system that tracks weather
and landscape conditions and irrigates accordingly,
weather-based irrigation controllers can reduce
water use by 20 percent compared to systems with
standard clock timer controllers. If every home with
an irrigation system made this switch, it could save
150 billion gallons of water per year across the
United States. Commercial and institutional facility
irrigation systems could help save even more water
across the country.
Performance Is Key
All WaterSense labeled products
must be independently certified
to ensure they meet EPA's water-
efficiency and performance
criteria. EPA worked with a variety of
stakeholders to develop criteria and performance
measures for weather-based irrigation controllers,
based on the industry's Smart Water Application
Technologies™ protocol for climatologically based
controllers.
The WaterSense Revised Draft Specification for
Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers includes supple-
mentary features, such as multiple programming
capabilities, that controllers must have in order to
receive the label. In the future, weather-based irriga-
tion controllers that earn the WaterSense label must
demonstrate that they meet the watering needs of a
typical landscape, while not overwatering.
Whether you are replacing an older, standard
clock timer controller or looking for options to
reduce water use and utility bills from your irriga-
tion system, the WaterSense label will soon be able
to help you identify weather-based irrigation
controller models that are high-performing and
water-efficient. For more information, visit
www.epa.gov/watersense.
January 2011
(866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) • www.epa.gov/watersense • watersense@epa.gov
Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper.
EPA-832-F-11-001
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