The Rain Bird is the word for local businesses using new climate-based technology that uses weather, of all things, to save water. The Calgary company ExactET’s Rainbird ET manager is an irrigation management
system that can convert conventional watering systems into self-adjusting, weather-smart sprinklers that control water flow based on real-time weather data, saving 25 to 60 percent of evaporated water.
Some estimates indicate 60 percent of water used in landscape irrigation is wasted through ET, which stands for evapotranspiration (water evaporated from soil), as well as through transpiration (a plant’s water loss). ExactET is helping companies to stop watering too much, too often.
“Rather than always watering on a particular day of the week, this way, the climate tells you what is best. If it’s overcast and cool, hot or windy, the amount of water needed isn’t the same,” says ExactET CEO and founder Graham Duffy.
Moisture loss is calculated by factoring in site-specific
details such as soil type, slope and root depths, which are programmed into the ET manager and hourly real-time weather
data collected across six weather
stations spread around Calgary (38 in total across Canada).
High-volume commercial
users such as the City of Calgary, Southcentre Mall and various condo properties have adopted ExactET’s system. (403-242-6660, exactet.ca) —L.S. |