Source: www.TurfMagazine.com
PHOENIX, AZ (May 30, 2012) – Rain Bird’s ESP-SMT Smart Control System for residential and light commercial irrigation has become known for its ability to accurately and efficiently provide just the right amount of water to landscapes. Because of the ESP-SMT’s proven performance, the Phoenix area’s Salt River Project (SRP) recently promoted the controller by offering a discount to attendees of its annual Water Conservation Expo.
SRP provides electricity to nearly a million Phoenix-area customers, as well as nearly 1 million acre-feet of water annually to a service area in central Arizona. For the past five years, SRP has hosted a free Water Conservation Expo with exhibits displaying water and energy-efficiency information. SRP staff annually research smart irrigation controllers to determine which products to feature at the Expo.
The purpose of the Expo is to help homeowners learn about saving water, which will save them money and conserve our precious water resources,” said Leeann Spahos, SRP’s water sustainability analyst. “Because up to 70 percent of household water use is used outdoors, SRP focused on outdoor water consumption. The ESP-SMT’s extra simple programming, historical weather data, tipping rain bucket and online training video made it the right choice.”
The ESP-SMT controller’s internal database includes over eight years of historical weather by zip code. As well, the ESP-SMT is the only controller on the market that incorporates on site rainfall amounts and temperature with the historical weather data to adjust watering on a daily basis. This is a key element of the ESP-SMT’s success, as the controller is able to calculate effective rainfall amounts to more accurately determine how much water is needed to maintain optimum soil moisture levels.
Rain Bird and distributor Ewing Irrigation Products, Inc. partnered with SRP to supply 500 ESP-SMTs at the Water Conservation Expo. Rain Bird also brought along staff members to provide product demos and training seminars during the four-hour event. A total of 470 controllers were purchased during the promotion.
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