Smart Water Use
Many people who live in rural areas depend on a well for their water needs and nearly all wells are powered by electricity. Higher than normal power bills in the summer months can be the result of watering outdoor lawns, fields and gardens. Here are some ways to rethink watering to reduce energy and water usage.
Here are some easy saving ideas
- Most grasses and plants don’t need water every day unless they are newly installed. Infrequent deep watering such as every other day or every three days, helps promote strong root growth and more drought tolerant plants. The time of day you water your plants can matter too. Watering in the middle of the afternoon, most of the water evaporates before it is able to soak into the ground. Another way to save water is by leaving your grass a little longer. This promotes shaded roots and less evaporation from the ground.
- Think about the way your plants are watered. Are you using an overhead sprinkler for all your needs? This type of sprinkling is not very efficient for shrubs, trees and gardens, whose roots need the water more than the tops. Installing a drip irrigation system, whether it be with a soaker hose or with direct to plant hoses can be done by you or a professional.
- If you don’t or need a whole yard irrigation system, purchasing a simple hose end timer from your local hardware store is a great investment. Setting the timer for days of the week and length of time watering takes the hassle out of watering, as well as ensuring that less water is wasted by overdoing it.
- Check with your local greenhouse or nursery for more tips on how to properly care for your plants and ways to save water doing so.
Ways to Invest
- Invest in a professionally installed underground sprinkling system with smart watering technology
- Hire a landscape designer to come up with an alternative landscaping plan for your yard/gardens that would require less water
- Already have a system installed? Consider upgrading to a Watersense controller. Smart technology has come to this area of your home as well. These new tech devices can sense the moisture in the soil and the weather conditions to better control watering patterns and waste less water and power.
