What is Efficiency?

@plainsane @ChicagoAndy C’mon guys, this is a friendly forum to exchange ideas. Let’s all group hug, respect each other’s opinions, and move on.

:cheers:

1 Like

Interesting comparisons. Smart Home products should be easy to use. Of those, I think the Nest is the only one that can compare in any way to the Iro.

The Nest thermostat heats your home to the correct temperatures at the correct times. To know that it is doing that correctly, it uses sensors: motion/occupancy, temperature, and humidity. It can even use temperature forecasts and records of previous performance to predict and optimize heating recovery times, etc.

A comparable smart irrigation system should water your lawn to the correct moisture level at the right frequency to keep plants healthy. To do that (on its own), would probably require sensors equivalent to the Nest’s: soil moisture sensors - at least one per zone, and perhaps other sensors (Temperature? Humidity? Solar? Rain?). Water runoff sensors for each zone might be needed, maybe a camera so it can get feedback on the color of the lawn, etc. From those, maybe the smart irrigation controller could figure out what soil type, root depth, and efficiency of each zone is. There would probably be a bit of trial and error involved, like the Nest in its learning phase.

Unfortunately, the feedback in an irrigation system is a lot slower than the sensors in the Nest give. It takes days or weeks to get good feedback on the lawn color and health, and I imagine water soaking into the ground is slower than temperatures in the home equalizing, though maybe they aren’t that far off. There are also many different types of grass (and other plants) and soil, which the thermostat case doesn’t have to deal with. There are certainly more and less efficient homes (heat wise), but the Nest can see that difference easily within a day by watching the temperatures rise and fall.

The Rachio currently has climate and weather station data used for adjusting run times/frequencies over the year and rain sensor data for at least one type of immediate feedback. The other sensor types needed to make an equivalent system (comparing to a thermostat) aren’t yet here. At least, not at a price the average smart home consumer is ready to spend.

I’m with you, @ChicagoAndy, I don’t really want to learn about irrigation too much. I just want a smart system to take care of it for me. And when a loaded smart irrigation system with all the sensors like that comes out for less than $300 ($500?), I’ll be there with the cash to buy it.

Until then, I’m pretty happy playing with the Rachio Iro with its automatic weather delays and vastly superior interface (smart phone and web apps) compared to a normal “dumb” controller. Heck, just being able to stop and start zones from out in the yard with my phone (in a plastic bag for protection!) while checking out my sprinklers was worth a lot to me! Add the rebate from the local water utility and the Iro was a no-brainer for me :slight_smile:

6 Likes