Waterscapes publishes guidance on when smart irrigation upgrades pay for themselves

Waterscapes, the UK specialist in commercial irrigation systems and water feature maintenance, has published new guidance for facilities managers, estates teams, and budget holders on judging when smart irrigation technology pays for itself.

Written by Managing Director Paul Jeffery, the guidance separates the four technologies usually sold under the smart irrigation label: weather-based controllers, flow monitoring, soil moisture sensors, and remote access. It sets out where each earns its cost on a commercial site, and argues that most sites need some of the technology rather than all of it.

According to the guidance, the largest saving on most sites comes from correcting schedule drift, where programmes set in spring no longer match summer demand. Fault detection follows, with flow monitoring identifying leaks in days rather than the weeks a conventional system can take, converting excavation and replanting jobs into small repairs.

The guidance also addresses the reporting case. With asset managers increasingly asked to evidence water use for sustainability reporting, and UK summers bringing temporary use bans and drought permits, Waterscapes notes that metered, logged irrigation data places sites in a stronger position when restrictions and exemptions are discussed.

"On most commercial sites we survey, the controller is the cheapest component on the system and the one costing the most money," said Jeffery. "A schedule that has drifted out of season can be putting out 30 or 40 percent more water than the planting needs. Weather-based control tends to claw that back within the first season."

The guidance is direct about when upgrading doesn't pay, advising that small simple systems, sites with failing hydraulics, and systems near the end of their life are usually better served by other routes. “We would rather tell a client their system isn't worth upgrading than sell them technology that won't pay back,” Jeffery said.

The full guidance is available on the Waterscapes website at waterscapes.co.uk