Smartphone App that Cuts Irrigation Water Use

When it comes to saving water on landscaping, keeping your sprinkler on a timer can be the convenient and effective way to keep the lawn watered, but what if it rains and you’re not around to switch it off?

Novato-based ETwater has come up with a mobile app that allows users to customize and control their irrigation systems from their phone.

The Utility app provides a birds-eye view of users’ yards and landscape. The program allows automated scheduling, access to irrigation history, and remote monitoring and adjustment for irrigation systems. The program also alerts users of broken valves, and clogged or broken pipes.

The system is said to save 50 percent–70 percent of landscape water consumption.

“What the system does is provide insights into where you are wasting water,’ said Lee Williams, the company’s chief operating officer. “Welcome to the smart outdoors.”

ETwater, (derived from evapotranspiration), is a 14-year old tech company that designs and manufactures wireless controllers and Web-based irrigation management systems, which it sells them through distributors. It specializes in sustainable irrigation with cloud-based platform services.

The Unity mobile app is a free download, https://appsto.re/us/ODD06.ior https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.etwater.espmobile and it allows users to see how much water they are using and could save per day, week, month or year. From there, the ETwater Smartest Sprinkler Service starts at $35 a month. The app also gives the user access to order other services and products from the company.

From a satellite image of their yard, users map their landscape preferences by selecting their plants, sprinkler type, and degree of shade. As the system collects more data about a particular lawn and the climate, it learns to make predictions about how much water the plants actually need. Sensors incorporate external sources of information, such as current weather data and even weather forecasts.

“People who have different zones in their yard, like flower beds or trees, people who really care about this stuff are attracted to our service,” says CEO Lee Williams.

In the last couple of years. ETwater’s operations have grown more than 30 percent–40 percent, and last year it moved to a hanger at Hamilton’s Landing in Novato. The company’s manufacturing partner is in Santa Clara.

ETwater’s customers are national commercial businesses like banks and retail stores, small to mid-size entities like home owner associations and parks and recreation, and large, high-end residences. Within the last six months it has been branching out to vineyards and golf courses.

Later this year the company plans to roll out other products that control outdoor lighting, and that integrate with other operating systems. Another app will provide image recognition, allowing the user point their phone’s camera at turf and receive an analysis of the soil.

Source: North Bay Business Journal

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