A hot, dry summer as forecast

A hot, dry summer for much of Canada as the media meteorologists forecast, with almost daily reports of heat waves and droughts across Canada and North America.

Above average temperatures and clear skies across the country (and particularly in the East) has led to higher soil moisture losses than is normal in the first half of the 2012 season.

This, when combined with slightly lower than average rainfall levels, has resulted in an increase in climate-based irrigation frequencies compared to 2011.

In Toronto, waterings under ET are up over last year 25 per cent, in Calgary over 28 per cent, and in Ottawa more than 43 per cent.

But despite the odd weather, ExactET’s clients continue to save literally hundreds of thousands of litres of water after making the switch to climate controlled irrigation from conventional timer-based programs.

For example (and on average) in Calgary, customers have on average watered just 18 times compared to 33 under timer systems (based on an industry norm of three times a week), a reduction in irrigations of 45.5%.

Figures from other major Canadian cities, include:-

Edmonton: 13 times instead of 33 (a 60.6% saving)

Vancouver: 5 times instead of 27 (a 81.4% saving)

Kamloops: 31 times instead of 44 (a 29.6% saving)

Toronto: 24 times instead of 35 (a 31.4% saving)

Ottawa: 23 times instead of 33 (a 30.3% saving)

Good friend David Spence at CTV forecasts that the rest of the summer will be hotter and drier than is usual. If this holds true, ExactET’s clients can expect irrigation frequencies to be higher than in recent years. But they can also anticipate that the move to climate controlled irrigation will save them both dollars and water than if they’d stayed with outdated timers.