Our rebate can help offset the cost of improving your irrigation system so you can create a knockout property entrance, unique building entry and colorful islands or medians. Ditch the entire system and receive a larger rebate.
Schedule your irrigation consultation today to find out what commercial irrigation design rebates are available to you and your business.
You’ll receive a customized rebate offer to make targeted changes like capping a spray zone you no longer need or retiring your system completely. Rebates will not be issued for any irrigation work completed prior to having the initial irrigation consult.
Why the rebate? In San Antonio, commercial customers with irrigation systems use 70 percent more water on average in the summer and 50 percent more annually than customers without irrigation systems. You can achieve your commercial landscape goals without relying so heavily on irrigation.
How It Works
The commercial irrigation design rebate is available to SAWS water customers ready to make permanent structural changes to their irrigation systems that result in long-term water savings.
Step 1: Schedule a Free Irrigation Consultation
All irrigation rebates begin and end with an irrigation consultation. Call 210-704-7283 (SAVE) or request an appointment online.
We recommend you schedule your consultation at least 2 weeks in advance of any planned work.
Appointments last about two hours, depending on the size of your system and number of irrigation controllers present at the site. Our landscape and irrigation experts will test your irrigation system, suggest settings and make recommendations for system changes based on your landscape. They will leave you with a written irrigation report and a rebate offer for each irrigation controller.
The rebate offers are good for 12 months from the date of the first consultation.
Step 2: Complete the Irrigation Rebate Checklist
After your initial consultation, complete the irrigation rebate checklist to better understand what the consultant will be looking for in the final inspection.
Step 3: Complete the Annual Irrigation Check-up Form (If Required)
If required, your property must be in compliance with the annual irrigation check-up before a rebate check will be issued. Per City of San Antonio ordinance, if your property is five acres or larger with irrigation and/or uses more than 1 million gallons of irrigation water per year, then an irrigation checkup report is due annually on May 1.
Step 4: Complete Changes to your Irrigation System
Remember, you MUST have a SAWS irrigation consultation before begginning any work for an irrigation rebate. A licensed irrigator must complete the work in accordance with all local and state regulations. If you complete the changes to your irrigation system and call to schedule the final inspection within 90 days of the first consultation, SAWS will add a 10 percent bonus to whatever irrigation rebates you have earned!
Step 5: Schedule and Pass your Final Irrigation Rebate Inspection
After the work is complete, schedule the final inspection. Our consultants will test your system to document and verify the eligible changes made to the system. You will sign off on the final inspection agreement, irrigation report form and maximum peak season agreement (only if you are participating in the Custom Rebate Program) at the end of the appointment. SAWS will calculate the final rebate amount and contact you by email within five (5) business days.
For rebates of $600 or more, SAWS will provide you with an IRS W-9 Form at the final inspection or send it in your approval email to complete and return. Due to federal IRS regulations, SAWS is required to send a 1099 Form in the following year for your tax return. Rebate checks will not be released to the recipient until the completed W-9 form is returned to SAWS.
Step 6: Rebate Check Issued
Successful rebate recipients will be issued a check within eight (8) weeks of their email notification of rebate approval. Checks will be made out to the name on the SAWS account. If a different name or mailing address for the check is to be used, this information needs to be provided at the final inspection. The check will be mailed first class via U.S. Postal Service to the mailing address on the final inspection agreement.
Rebate Requirements
SAWS rebates are based on the amount of water savings. Landscape watering drives peak demand for the entire utility, so the rebate takes into account the size of the irrigation system and how many gallons of water it uses.
The rebate amount is based on your system size (number of zones) and use (average gallons per minute measured during the initial consultation).Landscape and irrigation changes are expected to be a permanent change to your property.
The table below shows your options, the requirements and rebate amount ranges.
Permanent Retirement of Irrigation System
| Change | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Removal of Irrigation System (Active Systems: $750-$5,000) (Non-functional Systems: $450) |
|
Targeted Changes
Total rebate for targeted changes not to exceed 75% of rebate for permanently disabling the system.
| Change | Requirements |
|---|---|
|
Removal of Irrigation Zone
($200-$750 per zone) |
|
|
Spray Zone to Point-Source Drip
($100-$375 per zone) |
|
|
Conversion to Pressure-Regulated Heads ($50-$175 per zone) |
|
