Town of Mountain Village offers residents smart irrigation control incentive

As part of its effort to encourage environmentally friendly measures in the home and beyond, the Town of Mountain Village is offering a rebate to homeowners when they take measures to increase the efficiency of their irrigation systems. The goal is simple: to help residents use only the water they need to achieve the desired results on their property. As water becomes an increasingly precious resource worldwide, water conservation efforts are critical for helping reduce water consumption. When Mountain Village property owners replace their outdated irrigation control system with a WaterSense product, which includes weather sensing capabilities, the Town will offer a rebate of up to $500. “These controllers are really a win-win for our residents,” said J.D. Wise, Mountain Village’s plaza services manager. “In addition to being a great water conservation tool, their ability to react and adjust to real-time weather conditions can truly have positive impacts on the overall health of a landscape. It’s exciting to see this technology continue to be embraced and improved on by a number of manufacturers. “ WaterSense is a certified smart irrigation control product sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency which helps homes meet the EPA’s criteria for efficiency. These controllers use real-time local weather data, including humidity, wind speed, air temperature, soil moisture, solar radiation and rainfall to calculate evapotranspiration rates and automatically adjust irrigation watering accordingly. Most smart irrigation controllers either connect to the Internet for weather data or collect real-time weather data from an on-site station on the property. Some of these controllers can be monitored over the Internet and the settings controlled remotely, while others can be linked to other “smart” devices in your home. With a smart irrigation controller, your plants and lawn get the water they need, without being over or under watered. “Gone are the days when a rain sensor was the only option to automatically turn the water on or off,” Wise added. “Now, a number of these systems can adjust your daily run-times so that on a cool, cloudy day, your landscape is receiving less water than on a hot, dry day. Not only does this conserve water, but it also improves irrigation efficiency, and helps to achieve optimal plant health.” Residents are encouraged to consult with their landscaping professional to choose the best WaterSense rated controller and submit the Smart Irrigation Controls Program application to receive a rebate of up to $500 for the cost of the controller. (Please note, this program does not cover the cost of installation). This incentive program is open until funds are exhausted and is for residents of Mountain Village, Ski Ranches and West Meadows. For more information please contact J.D. Wise at (970) 369-8235 or please visit townofmountainvillage.com/smart-irrigation.