IRRIGATION: Point and Click Controllers

With skyrocketing fuel and labor costs, technologies that reduce “windshield time” are a boon to landscape and irrigation contractors’ businesses.
 
The efficiency factor is what accounts for an increased interest in PC-controlled irrigation systems, irrigation professionals say. Previously, the ability to control an irrigation system remotely from a computer was considered a high-end, large-scale proposition – something only affordable to those who managed immense, campus-like properties.
 
Today, manufacturers have made such capabilities cost effective for smaller commercial sites and even residential applications. In addition to helping residential and “light” commercial contractors reduce operating costs, PC-controlled irrigation systems encourage a movement toward the “water manager” concept. This approach promotes water conservation, which is good for the environment and consumers’ water bills, says Doug Callison, central control product manager for Rain Bird, Tucson, Ariz.
 
“This isn’t a new business model; it has existed in the high-end commercial sector for a long time,” he says. “It’s just new to the residential/light commercial market.”

RESIDENTIAL USE. On the residential side, manufacturers have released products that allow homeowners to control their irrigation systems from their home computers. It’s the irrigation industry’s foray into the “smart home” market, says Keith Shepersky, senior product marketing manager – controllers for Irritrol, Riverside, Calif. “Sooner or later, people would like to be able to control all aspects of their home from their computer,” he says.
 
Dave Shoup agrees. “It is just easier for many consumers to issue a few simple commands from their PC than fumble with unfamiliar equipment out in the garage,” says the central systems product manager for Hunter Industries, San Marcos, Calif.
 
These systems, which cost less than $500, generally consist of a controller that’s wired to valves like any typical controller, a remote that connects to the customer’s PC and a software package that’s uploaded on the customer’s computer.
 
Dan Wolfe owner of Landmark Irrigation in Fountain City, Wis., has installed 11 systems in the last year. “One big area is our ‘techy’ customers,” he says. “It’s suited for someone who likes to play with things. I haven’t installed one for a customer who wants us to hook it up and never touch it.”
 
Wolfe, a 30-year veteran of the irrigation industry, also sees this product – its novelty and its ability to save water – as a unique selling point. “It’s a way to differentiate from my competitors. And if you look at the water conservation aspect, that’s obviously great for the industry.”
 
Though the residential-caliber PC-controlled systems aren’t based on evapotranspiration (ET) rates (they don’t use site data to determine irrigation schedules), they do retrieve local weather data like temperature, humidity and precipitation forecasts from the Internet, which is an improvement over conventional controllers. Manufacturers say PC-control systems may use ET-based information in the future, but for now the benefits of not using ET are simplicity and lack of monthly fees. “You probably capture at least 80 percent of the water savings an ET controller would allow in a much simpler matter,” says Greg Nagy, director of operations for Cyber-Rain in Agoura Hills, Calif.
 
While one benefit of the residential PC-controlled system is that a homeowner can easily control irrigation himself, many contractors recognize that a business opportunity also has surfaced. Homeowners may like to have access to their irrigation system from their computer, but still are not comfortable setting schedules or making changes, says Doug Gardner, owner of Sprinkler Systems by Doug, Williamstown, N.J. In response, he’s offering a monthly monitoring service for customers with PC-based systems.
 
It’s difficult for a contractor to make money on a service call “the old way,” Gardner says. “If I have to put a technician in a truck to drive 40 minutes to make a 10-minute adjustment, I’m paying $3.20 per gallon and paying the tech $20-something an hour. I have to charge $80 and I’m not making very much money.” Now, for customers with PC-based systems, Gardner offers a monitoring service. For about $14 per month, customers receive unlimited schedule adjustments, which Gardner makes from his office via a computer remote access system similar to the one many IT departments or technical assistance lines use. Gardner bases his monitoring service price on the cost of approximately two service calls per year and what home security system firms charge for their monitoring fees. “It’s like an insurance policy,” he adds.

COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS. Manufacturers have made the residential PC-controlled systems capable of handling small-scale (12-zone) commercial accounts, but advancements in technology have allowed them to offer mid-range central control systems, too.
 
A few things have contributed to this segment’s improved affordability, says Steve Springer, senior marketing manager for Simi Valley, Calif.-based RainMaster: 1) A significant drop in PC hardware costs over the last three years; and 2) End users’ increased perception of value for all types of software. Manufacturers say the mid-range systems can be two to four times cheaper than conventional central control systems.
 
Several mid-range options exist (in the $1,000 range), including systems that operate on Web-based platforms (these typically require a controller with a wireless communications card plus a monthly service plan); others are modular control systems, which have many of the benefits of central control systems (like controlling a system remotely), but they make some of the advanced features optional, driving down costs.
 
Chris Le Conte, president of SMART Watering Systems in Toronto, uses a mid-range modular control system, which is more price-appropriate for most of his customers than a full-scale central control system would be. Le Conte has determined his commercial clients typically require a three-year return on investment, which prices some conventional central control systems out of the market. But by using a modular system, Le Conte can take advantage of the technology that allows him to control his clients’ systems remotely without the cost of a conventional central control system. “Things like automatic ET adjustment and flow monitoring are typically expensive and sometimes never used,” Le Conte says. “If a customer does want those features they will be available at an additional cost.”

Beating The Competition.

The commercial market is where contractors who install computerized control systems can beat the competition on customer satisfaction and price, irrigation professionals say. “A customer requesting a change – perhaps wanting irrigation suspended for a special event on a certain day – can be instantly responded to with a simple command,” says Hunter’s Shoup.
 
Le Conte appreciates these operational efficiencies. “If there’s a water restriction put in place, you don’t need to send your trucks out to a couple hundred sites – you do it all from your office,” he says. “Just think of the carbon emissions, fuel and time saved.”
 
This is also how tech-savvy contractors can be more price competitive without sacrificing profits, RainMaster’s Springer says. “A contractor who’s not using a centrally based system has to plug a lot more into their price – the wear and tear on the vehicle, fuel, the technician’s time,” he says. “By using a centrally controlled system, you should be able to reduce the customer’s bill by 3 to 5 percent from what the competitor is offering.” LL