CE Pro February 2023 - 34

TECHNOLOGY | Water-Based Solutions
Water-Based
Business Possibilities
Extend Inside
& Outside
In the second of two installments examining how
integrators can expand their portfolios to address smart
water solutions, we cover exterior irrigation & pool/spa
tech then go inside to kitchens & bath design.
By Orrin Charm
BACK IN December,
CE Pro ran the first of
two multipart installments
taking a look at how
custom integrators could
" Get Your Feet Wet with
Water-Based Business
Opportunities " (page 34),
with a focus on smart
toilets/bidets and water
management, detection &
filtration. Now it's time to
learn about two more
potential portfolio and
partnership builders to
boost your business.
In this installment, we're
going to start outdoors with
the prospects of integrating
irrigation and pool/spa
technology to help customers
save on utilities, create
more comfort and other
benefits. We follow that by
stepping back inside into
the kitchen and bathroom
spaces, where it's suggest34
| CE Pro February 2023
ed why connections with
National Kitchen & Bath Association
designer members
can deliver mutually beneficial
results for all parties.
PART ONE:
Outdoor Water -
Irrigation & Pool
Technology
I had a revelation when I
first installed a water flow
meter at my home. It was
that by far most of my water
consumption was not from
long showers, doing laundry,
or washing dishes - but
from outdoor irrigation.
Anywhere from 50%
(during rainy season) to 80%
(during summer heat) of the
water was used outside of
the house. So, if I wanted
to conserve water during
a drought, better irrigation
controls were the way to do
it. Like most people, we had
a clock-based timer in the
garage (set by the previous
owner's gardener, I presume)
that ran on a constant
schedule all year long.
New irrigation controls
offer weather and sensor-based
controls, remote
smartphone access, and
smart home integration,
so they deserve consideration
for inclusion in your
arsenal of client offerings.
Of course, if some of your
clients have meticulously
manicured estates and
gardens, they probably
have a landscaper who has
this under control. But
many properties don't have
someone dedicated to
managing the water usage
on a weekly basis, so these
new controllers can be a
welcome addition, as well as
providing you with another
integration opportunity and
another way to assist your
clients with recent technology.
In addition, they will
give your clients a tool to
view, manage, and reduce
water consumption right on
their smart devices.
Since most of these devices
use Wi-Fi both to set
up and control the irrigation,
as well as to connect
with local weather data,
reliable Wi-Fi access at the
controller is needed. Many
of these devices use 2.4GHz
wireless only, so a router
that allows management of
both bands can be particularly
useful. Some also use
long-range radio, such as
LoRa, to communicate with
remote sensors.
Controllers may require
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CE Pro February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro February 2023
