U.C. Evaluation of Weather-sensing Irrigation Controllers

Evaluation of Weather-sensing Irrigation Controllers

Irrigation controllers that set and adjust water application in response to changes in the weather are now available for residential and commercial use.  In 2003, we conducted a science-based evaluation of selected weather-sensing irrigation controllers, representing a range of technologies and approaches, to determine the climatic data the controllers use, how easy they are to setup and operate, and how closely their irrigation regimes match landscape irrigation needs established by previous field research.  Unfortunately, no product evaluated was able to produce highly accurate irrigation schedules consistently for every landscape setting when compared to research-based reference comparison treatments. Please review our report, Evaluation of Weather-sensing Irrigation Controllers, for important  findings and conclusions about the performance and management of "smart" controller technology.