Most of us respond to drought conditions by immediately cutting down on watering our lawns and gardens.
"Smart watering" involves thinking about your outdoor water use more holistically, says South Australia Water's Greg Ingleton.
Photo: 123RF
Think about things holistically, says Ingleton, what’s the benefit of the water on your lawn?
It could be that it cuts down on your power bill and allows you to get outside on a hot day, he says.
“I do a lot of these experiments at home, and much to my wife’s disgust at times, but I look at what we can actually do with the water to change the way that we behave at home.”
Ingleton found that by having a green garden, green lawn, a misting system and producing his own fruit, he reduced his electricity bill by $200 over summer.
The water bill went up by about $20, but it was a hit Ingleton was willing to take knowing he saved so much money on power.
“In Adelaide, it gets quite hot over summer and we get temperatures of… above 35 degrees most days… and what generally happens is most people stay inside with their air conditioner running. What we’re telling people is you don’t have to stay inside and have your air-conditioning running, you can be outside and have a nice green lawn, a misting system going and actually be comfortable.”
A green lawn and misting system can reduce the temperature of your lawn area by 10-15 degrees, Ingleton says, because lawn takes water from the soil and breathes it out into the air.
“The beauty of it is, the cost to run the misting system is about a tenth of the cost to run an air-conditioner.”
Greg Ingleton's tips:
- Think about water conservation holistically
- Water your vegetation a couple of days before a hotter period so it’s not evaporating in the heat of the sun
- Water in the evening after the sun goes down
- Be aware of the amount of water you’re using outside. (He suggests putting a cup on the ground where you’re watering and once it gets to a fingernail full, move on)
- If you want to use a misting system, offset the extra water use by getting out of the shower a couple of minutes earlier. (A couple of minutes in the shower translates to a couple of hours misting)
