Taking Advantage of Free Water Irrigation Audits

Following my post on how HOAs can take advantage of reclaimed water to reduce their water bill, I want to talk a little bit about water irrigation audits. Beyond using reclaimed water, HOAs can save money and help the environment by undergoing an irrigation audit. Several municipalities in the Denver metro area offer such audits at no cost to the HOA.

The audit itself is quite thorough. An inspector first goes to each controller and turns on all zones. They look to see what kind of sprinkler heads are being used and how many are in each zone. The layout of the common area is assessed with special attention paid to what type of type of plant material is in each zone as well as the overall slope. Once the inspection is complete, a report is compiled, complete with pictures, that provides recommendations as to what retrofits should be undertaken by the HOA.

Beyond the savings incurred by reduced irrigation, HOAs may also be eligible for rebates.  Each municipality is different, but Aurora and Denver both offer rebates for increased irrigation efficiency. You can get more information about Denver’s rebate program here. Aurora issues their audits through the Center for Resource Conservation whose audit program, Slow the Flow, counts Golden, Parker, Thornton, and Westminster among its participants.

At CAP Management, we ensure that our HOAs are taking advantage of irrigation audits and other city-sponsored conservation programs in order to save them money. Contact chris@capmanagement.com for more information.