Example of a Typical System Installed by the Competition.

Competition




Example of an Irrigation System Installed by Rainy Days Irrigation.

Rainy Days


The point behind the comparasion is to show that the price of an irrigation system

installation is just a small part of the cost of ownership of an irrigation system. More

importantly the better the design of an irrigation system the more efficient it is.

That will be the cost that makes the biggest difference.


This irrigation system is a real irrigation system installed by one of our competitors. This system was designed simply on sale price alone. Whether through negligence or ignorance no thought was given to distribution uniformity, the microclimates on site, or water conservation. Sprinkler heads are simply installed in a general coverage fashion(watering turf and plants together). This kind of irrigation system will always be cheaper in the beginning, usually cost between $3,600 and $4,200, but as you can see the distribution uniformty will always be lower and annual water use will always be higher.

The Distribution Uniformity (DU) percentage for this system will be at 62% at best.

The annual water use will be 102,463 gallons and
the cost will range from $520/year in Raleigh
and $1,217 in Cary.

The total cost of ownership for this system for a period of time:



Years Raleigh Cary
5 years $6,800 $10,285
10 years $9,400 $16,370
15 years $12,000 $22,455
20 years $14,600 $28,548

    The difference in the Rainy Days system layout vs the competitors irrigation system     layout is the addition of sprinkler heads(the new heads are indicated wth dashed     radius lines) to create distribution uniformity per zone, observing microclimates     within the property,( the heads in blue to cover just the lawn area, rezoning the black     zone so that all area that faces north are on the same zone along with the similar     changes to the other zones),using low application rate heads, and installing check     valves in all heads to prevent water leaking from the heads after a cycle. This     irrigation system installed by Rainy Days Irrigation will be $5,850 The Distribution     Uniformity (DU) percentage for this system will be between 78% and 84%.

    The annual water use will be 73,696 gallons and the cost will range from $373/year in     Raleigh and $875/year in Cary. This is a 29% reduction in water use and cost.     Additionally the quality of the lawn will be much better and fines from the water     conservation enforcements staff will be avoided.

    The total cost of ownership for this system for a period of:     
Years Raleigh Cary
5 years $7,715(+985) $10,225(-60)
10 years $9,580(+180) $14,600(-1,770)
15 years $11,445(-555) $18,975(-3,480)
20 years $13,310(-1,280) $23,350(-5,190)
    

The $1,650 premium paid for the Rainy Days system reaches a breakeven point for Raliegh residents in 11 years in Cary residents in 5 years. Water rates are subject to raise as municipalities implement tiered rates designed to curb water waste in inneficient irrigation systems. Fuquay, Angier, and Harnett County have tiered rate systems already in place.