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High Tech Toro Experiment07-16-07 | News
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High Tech Toro Experiment

An experiment between Toro, Mediterra and London Bay homes is testing whether Toro?EUR??,,????'???s satellite technology may benefit homeowners during Florida?EUR??,,????'???s frequent droughts. The experiment will be testing Toro?EUR??,,????'???s evapotranspiration system, which uses computerized information to adjust watering schedules to optimize irrigation, on private homes. The system relies on data transmitted from the network of weather stations to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration satellite, analyzing it according to location and water needs. The data is sent to a controller that adjusts the irrigation schedule according to the weather conditions and plant material, turning the water on and off when necessary.

The system, referred to as ET, is part of Toro?EUR??,,????'???s Intelli-Sense Series.Though the technology has been around since the 1960s, it has been used primarily on golf courses and institutional applications. According to Toro, the advantages include savings on water bills, a reduction in pesticides and fertilizer runoff and eliminating the man hours needed for constant adjustments for weather conditions.

Mike Lynch, territory manager for Toro, described that similar programs have been implemented in California and Utah. In Santa Barbara, Calif., tests of 200 units showed that water use was reduced by an average of 26 percent. In a Park City, Utah, in a test designed to reduce water use during summer months at 35 high-use homes, the average customer reduced water bills by $1,258 over a five-month period.

The experiment and London Bay?EUR??,,????'???s Lucarno neighborhood is set to last 12 to 18 months.

Source: Naples News

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