ET Water Joins Forces with Leading Weather Forecaster
Corte Madera, Calif., (September, 2006) — ET Water™ Smart Controllers just got a whole lot smarter. Last week, the leading supplier of technology–driven, smart irrigation controllers once again chose WeatherBug, a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, to provide live, local weather data to be used by its controllers. The two companies signed an exclusive, 2–year agreement.
Said Bruce Cardinal, chief executive officer of ET Water Systems LLC, "WeatherBug provides weather data where people live and work. ET Water helps its customers maintain healthy landscapes, and save on money and water usage. This is where innovation and ingenuity come together. The potential with this partnership is huge."
Benefits of ET Water's partnership with WeatherBug are many. State–of–the–art controllers, teamed with an accurate weather subscription service, bring water usage savings for customers and optimum landscape health.
Noting that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security now relies on WeatherBug forecast data, Cardinal said, "We're using the same industry–leading source of information that homeland security uses. This data is ground–based — not estimated by satellite at airports, which has been the traditional way."
Conventional irrigation controllers are referred to as "clocks" because they manually set to water at a specific time and duration, regardless of weather conditions. In contrast, ET Water develops customized watering schedules for each zone of irrigated landscape, adjusting itself automatically based on local climate and rainfall that is continuously captured and reported by WeatherBug stations.
WeatherBug has more than 8,000 weather stations/rain gauges dispersed nationwide in populated metro areas; it maintains the largest exclusive weather network in the world, delivered to broadcasters, media, government, schools and individual customers. Its streaming, live, local weather data ensures that ET Water's smart controllers water grounds only when climate conditions support the need.
"With WeatherBug, we have more reliable data points and more localized weather data," said Cardinal. "Our smart controllers ensure that each zone receives the right amount of water at the right time, ensuring optimal plant health and eliminating water waste and harmful runoff."
"It's a logical partnership," says John Amatruda, manager of strategic partnerships for WeatherBug. "It's critical weather information, coupled with 'green' irrigation. It works for the environment, and it works as a weather station for the community. It's a smart package deal."
ET Water's smart irrigation system reduces waste, and typically pays for itself within the first two years –– potentially saving thousands of dollars on water bills. Dollar savings estimates range from a 20 to 50 percent reduction in irrigation water usage, producing an estimated 12 to 25 percent overall savings on water bills.
Landscape irrigation typically has the highest potential for water conservation, as close to 60 percent of household water is consumed outdoors. Said Steve Snow, vice president of business development for ET Water, "Water savings for smart controllers and runoff reduction are proven in numerous site studies by water agencies, and ET Water customers have enjoyed 30 to 75 percent savings on major sites."
About ET Water
ET Water Systems, LLC (ET Water, the "Company") was founded in Marin County, California, in the fall of 2002 by experienced high–tech entrepreneurs with a passion for protecting the environment. In 2005, the Company began the process of forging key relationships with homebuilders, commercial landscapers, property managers, and distribution channel partners. Convinced that water scarcity will be the major resource challenge of the 21st Century, the company's founders recognized that a marriage of the Internet, sophisticated databases and horticulture science could simplify irrigation, improve plant health, conserve water, and reduce pollution caused by over watering. Visit www.etwater.com for more details or call Steve Snow at 415–357–5146.About WeatherBug®
With 8,000 WeatherBug Tracking Stations and over 1,000 cameras primarily based at neighborhood schools and public safety facilities across the U.S., WeatherBug (www.weatherbug.com) maintains the largest exclusive weather network in the world. The live, local weather conditions are delivered to millions of consumers via the Internet and mobile devices, more than 100 state and local government agencies including the National Weather Service, and to broadcast television stations, schools, and businesses. As such, WeatherBug is the #1 distributor of severe weather alerts to the public. WeatherBug data is unique as it is the only live, neighborhood weather available anywhere. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (www.aws.com)
Press Contacts
Dwain Schenck, ICA
Phone: 203-372-4443
Email: dschenck@ica-online.com
Steve Snow, ET Water
Phone: 415-357-5146
Email: ssnow@etwater.com