SUPPLEMENT: Smart Irrigation Month

Talk to a number of irrigation professionals and the truly experienced ones all will tell you the same thing: “A great designer can take crummy equipment and still irrigate effectively and efficiently.”
 
There’s no doubt those words are true – but why stop there? Why not envision a great designer who uses top-of-the-line, water-wise products and see what kind of efficiencies he can create?

Several developments in smart irrigation over the past year suggest the time has come for contractors to step up and shoot for this scenario. The grassroots Smart Irrigation Month effort plus the debut of the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program are pushing water-wise messages into the forefront.
 
Contractors better be prepared with an answer when the time comes that their customers begin asking informed questions like: What type of smart controllers work best and why? Or, why aren’t you certified?
 
The EPA’s first goal with WaterSense was to put its stamp of approval on contractor certification programs – and it has done so for four Irrigation Association designations.
 
The next step for IA-certified designers, contractors, irrigation auditors and golf irrigation auditors willing to become WaterSense partners is to apply to the program through the EPA (for more information visit www.epa.gov/watersense).
 
Smart Irrigation Month is organized with the hope that the initiative will give the industry a platform to promote the issue at hand while encouraging people to be smart all year long, says consultant Jeff Carowitz, chair of the IA’s communications committee (which is responsible for organizing Smart Irrigation Month).
 
“The goal for the first year was to get it known within the green industry,” Carowitz says. “We had a lot of companies use this as an opportunity to tell the story about the products and services they’re offering that could help property owners better manage their irrigation systems or make the right choice and install a brand new system that incorporates smart products and practices.”
 
Moving forward, the Smart Irrigation Month committee hopes to reach out to other groups. Carowitz is pleased to have received media inquiries from outside of the green industry, including home and garden publications and local newspapers. Also, the committee has reached out to water agencies to provide resources, like an informational insert they can include in their customer billing statements during July to encourage customers to irrigate more efficiently.
 
While smart irrigation is something many contractors talk about daily in every sales presentation they do, Smart Irrigation Month gives them an extra opportunity to spotlight a smart controller or drip applications, Carowitz says, noting that a number of professionals have sought access to logos and other resources to incorporate in their advertisements or Web sites. About 10 percent of contractors say they’ve incorporated Smart Irrigation Month into their sales and marketing plans, Lawn & Landscape research shows. Another 41 percent of contractors say it’s a great effort, but they haven’t yet promoted it to their customer base. Unfortunately, close to one-third of contractors report they’ve never heard of Smart Irrigation Month.
 
Maybe you’re an expert designer who uses high-tech products, but have you considered what more you can  do to stay on top of your game and promote water-wise messages to your customers and the general public? The time to get these messages out is now – both the industry and the EPA are giving you the platform.