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
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Call EBMUD to determine your eligibility.
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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.
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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
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Complete, sign and return application to EBMUD within 90 days of purchase date.
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EBMUD will contact you to schedule a site visit to review installation and programming of controller.
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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.
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Irrigation Controller Program Brochure and Application – For purchases between July 1 and December 31, 2009.
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Irrigation Controller Program Brochure and Application – For purchases between January 1 and June 30, 2009.
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
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Aquaconserve – 877-922-2782 (ET 6 series and ET 8 series)
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Cyber-Rain – 877-888-1452 (Cyber-Rain XCI)
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ET Water Systems – 800-438-3400 (Smart Controller)
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Hunter – 800-733-2823 (ET System and Solar Sync)
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HydroPoint-WeatherTRAK - 800-362-8774 (WeatherTrak)
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Irritrol – 800-634-8873 (Smart Dial)
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Toro – 800-664-4740 (Intelli-Sense)
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Weathermatic – 888-484-3776 (Smartline)
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RainMaster – 800-777-1477 (RME Eagle-i)
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Alex-Tronix – 888-224-7630 (Enercom Plus; Smart Clock)
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Rainbird – 800-724-6247 (ESP-SMT and ET Manager)
Soil Moisture Based Controllers
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Aquacraft, Inc., 2009 Evaluation of California Weather-Based “SMART” Irrigation Controller Programs
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Bureau of Reclamation, 2007 Weather and Soil Moisture Based Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Devices, Technical Review Report - 2nd Edition
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Cooperative Extension, U.C. Davis - Evaluation of Weather-Sensing Landscape Irrigation Controllers, June 2004
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Smart Water Application Technologies (SWAT) - Irrigation Association - A partnership between water agencies and manufacturers - http://www.irrigation.org/smartwater/ or http://www.irrigation.org/gov/
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Best Management Practices - Irrigation Association - http://www.irrigation.org/gov/
For more information, please e-mail custsvc@ebmud.com or call 1-866-403-2683.