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Home> Conserving & Recycling > Residential > WSIC

Self-Adjusting Irrigation Controller Rebate Program

EBMUD customers who use more than 750 gallons per day of summer irrigation and replace an existing irrigation timer with a qualifying model may be eligible for a rebate.  The rebates are $100, $150, or $200 per controller depending on past water consumption.  EBMUD determines eligibility and rebate amounts based on a three year average that does not include the drought year.

Why Self-Adjusting Irrigation Controllers are better than old-fashioned sprinkler timers.

Traditional timers turn the water on and off based on a set schedule that does not change with the weather and regardless of how much the landscape actually needs to be watered.  As a result, plants are often watered too frequently or for too long a time, which wastes water, wastes money, damages plant health, causes runoff, and can wash harmful lawn and garden chemicals into nearby waterways.

Self-adjusting irrigation controllers solve these over-watering problems by adjusting the irrigation schedule based on the Evapotranspiration (ET) rate and actual on-site environmental conditions, and automatically provide the right amount of water to maintain ideal, healthy growing conditions.

ET is the water lost from soils through evaporation and plant tissue through water uptake. The evapotranspiration rate is affected by solar radiation, temperature, humidity, and wind.

For more information on independent studies of weather-based irrigation controllers, click here.

How to Participate

  1. Call EBMUD to determine your eligibility.

  2. Review program rules and controller information, and purchase a qualifying controller. Alternatively, have your landscaper or gardener purchase the controller and obtain a typed, dated receipt that itemizes the controller cost.

  3.  Install and program the qualifying irrigation controller according to manufacturer’s directions. As needed, contact manufacturer for installation and programming questions, or contact distributor for a list of professional installers and the additional cost of installation if you choose not to install yourself

  4. Complete, sign and return application to EBMUD within 90 days of purchase date.

  5. EBMUD will contact you to schedule a site visit to review installation and programming of controller.

  6. Upon successful completion of the verification, EBMUD will approve the rebate. Approved rebates will be issued as a credit on your water bill within 8 weeks.

The following forms are PDF files which can be viewed and printed through Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software.

Eligibility Rules

EBMUD account holders who meet the program eligibility rules qualify.

Note: Regardless of eligibility, all customers can receive a free customized calculation of the likely payback on investment, a free on-site landscape consultation to assess and recommend irrigation system improvements, and an on-site review of proper programming.
 

Self-Adjusting Irrigation Controller Manufacturers

 Climate Based Controllers

Soil Moisture Based Controllers

 Links to Studies

For more information, please e-mail custsvc@ebmud.com or call 1-866-403-2683.


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