Get your irrigation system into great shape for the summer season and you’ll see a smaller waistline on your water bill!
Irrigation systems represent a convenient avenue by which homeowners can apply water to their landscapes on a regular basis to keep them healthy and maintain their appeal.
However, any homeowner with an irrigation system also knows that it can be a real bear to maintain and can inflate a water bill very quickly if there’s a malfunction, break or the settings aren’t monitored. This is especially true with “set it and forget it” scenarios — when the irrigation system is set to operate at night or when the homeowner is away.
If you’ve been considering some changes to your home irrigation system, or even permanently shutting it down and getting rid of it, SAWS has just the program to get your irrigation system in shape for the summer irrigation season.
If you want to keep your irrigation system, but want to trim off some of the fat by capping a zone or two or perhaps convert some out-of-control spray irrigation in flowerbeds into drip irrigation, the SAWS Irrigation Design Rebate may be just the ticket. You can also go completely cold turkey and permanently retire the whole irrigation system, whether it’s functional or not.
There are some steps you have to follow in order to make your workout routine successful, so let’s get started!
BEFORE any work on the irrigation system can begin, homeowners interested in the rebate MUST call or email SAWS Conservation to schedule a free irrigation system consult. *Any irrigation work initiated before the first consult will not be considered for the rebate.*
Here’s how it works:
- Call SAWS Conservation at 704-SAVE (7283) or email us to set up the free consultation. Tell us how many zones are on your irrigation system and which days (Monday-Friday) or times you prefer (8 a.m.-3 p.m.).
- A SAWS Conservation Consultant will come to your home and inspect the irrigation system to record the settings and then briefly test the system to collect information on the system’s average water flow rate and number of separate zones laid out across the landscape. The consultant will talk with you about the inspection results and discuss any questions or issues you have about the system or landscape.
- Based on the average water flow and number of zones in the irrigation system, the consultant will provide you with a personalized written rebate offer that is good for 12 months from the date of the consult.
The offer contains:
- The max rebate amount available for permanently retiring the functional irrigation system. (If your system is non-functional, the retirement rebate is $450.)
- The max rebate amount for making targeted changes to the irrigation system. Targeted changes include capping entire sprinkler zones, converting entire spray irrigation zones to drip irrigation (landscape beds only) or converting all conventional spray irrigation heads in a zone to pressure-reducing spray heads (grass zones only). The maximum rebate for making targeted changes is limited to 75% of the amount to completely retire the functional irrigation system.
What Happens After the Initial Consult?
- After the consult, you have one year to complete any changes to the irrigation system and call or email SAWS to schedule a final rebate inspection. The consultant will inspect and confirm all changes that you’ve made.
- The consultant returns the final inspection paperwork to SAWS and the homeowner will receive an email within 48 hours confirming their final rebate amount.
- Rebates will be issued as a check mailed directly to the homeowner within four to eight weeks after the rebate is approved. Only homeowners are eligible for the rebate; tenants are not eligible.
Aside from $450 for retiring a non-functional irrigation system, personalized rebate amounts could exceed $2,000 (amount varies based on water flow and zones) for retiring a functional irrigation system.
Based on system water flow, rebates (amounts vary based on water flow) for retiring individual zones start at $200 per zone, while rebates for converting spray to drip irrigation (landscape beds only) start at $100 per zone. Rebates for converting regular spray or rotary heads to pressure-reducing spray or rotary heads (grass zones only) start at $50 per zone and increase based on water flow of the system.
Remember: ANY irrigation system work started before the initial consult WILL NOT be considered in calculating the final rebate amount. Call or email us BEFORE you start your irrigation system workout program.
