Water conservation success!

180x150-SAWSBy Mark A. Peterson

Ever wondered if it’s possible to save money, water and still have an aesthetically pleasing landscape? One glance at the North San Antonio Chamber Headquarters and the answer is a definite yes.

SAWSpic1In June 2011, the North SA Chamber participated in the Commercial Irrigation Design Rebate program. Together with SAWS staff, Chamber personnel determined that capping one zone and converting six zones to multi-stream rotating heads would reduce water consumption considerably.

SAWSpic2In 2010, their annual consumption was about 350,000 gallons — or an average of 29,000 gallons of water per month. After the retrofits were completed in June 2011, consumption per month dropped to 16,830 gallons over 12 months. Comparing 2010 to 2012, consumption was reduced by 69 percent.

As part of SAWS rebate program, customers receive monthly e-mails on their conservation progress. This helps the customer and SAWS monitor water usage throughout the year and discover potential savings or system malfunctions.

Another key feature of SAWS rebate program is the performance criteria, or recommended water use. Initially the customer’s account is credited a percentage of the rebate and then water usage is monitored for 12 months. If water use meets or is less than the recommended water use, the customer receives the remaining percentage of the rebate.

For more information on the Commercial Irrigation Design Rebate, or other rebate programs visit our website at saws.org/conservation. Or, call us at 210-704-SAVE.