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Old 01-27-2011, 09:28 PM
 
Location: Fulshear
1,326 posts, read 3,431,470 times
Reputation: 1184

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I am thinking of installing a sprinkler system for my lawn, but first wanted to know about how much I could expect my water/MUD bill to increase after having it installed.
I had an estimate done last year for a sprinkler system, and I believe the guy said I would have about 7 zones in my lawn.
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Old 01-27-2011, 10:31 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,037 posts, read 85,858,261 times
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That depends on your yard size and watering schedule.

Maybe you can use this calculator:
Landscape Irrigation Calculators
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Old 01-27-2011, 11:08 PM
 
Location: Fulshear
1,326 posts, read 3,431,470 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina View Post
That depends on your yard size and watering schedule.

Maybe you can use this calculator:
Landscape Irrigation Calculators
Not really sure of the size of the lawn.
I guess I was wondering if the bill would be double, 50% more, etc.
I'm guessing I would water 1-2 times per week for about an hour each time.
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Old 01-27-2011, 11:57 PM
 
Location: Spring, TX
460 posts, read 2,418,928 times
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How can anyone tell you that your bill will double, triple, or whatever without having some idea of your water usage before the irrigation system was installed, and how much you will actually water. If you have 5 teenagers at home you may not see any increase in your water bill , but if it's just you and one other, and you use water sparingly, you'll find that irrigation can eat up a LOT of water and you may see a triple or quadruple bill. I'm retired and it's just the two of us here, so my summer water usage is easily four times my winter usage. And that's after spending quite a bit of time tuning my system so almost nothing is lost in the street, either through spray or run-off.
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Old 01-28-2011, 05:10 AM
 
Location: Katy,TX
108 posts, read 482,706 times
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If you typically take good care of your lawn and water it regularly during the summer without an irrigation system you may not notice much of an increase. I am in a typical subdivision with a 7000sf lot/1900sf house and my water bill rarely gets over 90$ during the summer. It is just my wife & I.
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Old 01-28-2011, 07:54 AM
 
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If your landscaping hasn't changed, you had to water it previously. Irrigation systems are more efficient so your water usage might decrease.
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Old 01-28-2011, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Fulshear
1,326 posts, read 3,431,470 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by studiobtm View Post
If your landscaping hasn't changed, you had to water it previously. Irrigation systems are more efficient so your water usage might decrease.
Yeah, that would be nice.
In the summer, I usually water the lawn 2x a week for an 1/1.5 hour each time.
It is just me, my wife and our 2 year old son.
Right now our MUD/water bill is about $60/month.
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Old 01-28-2011, 10:09 AM
 
239 posts, read 636,345 times
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I can give you a comparison between 2 houses I own, one with a landscape sprinkler system, one without.

The one without has a yard space of about 5100 sq. ft., including driveway and porches/patios. For three people, the water usage averages about 4000 gallons a month, bumping up to 6 or 7 in the months of July and August. Only once in 15+ years has it ever gone above 10,000.

The one with a sprinkler system has 6 zones and a yard space of roughly 3600 sq. feet, including driveway and porches/patios. For two people, the water usage averages about 9000 gallons a month, bumping up to 12-14 in the summer months.

So the house without has roughly 1/3 more space to water and houses one more person, but only uses about less than half the water of the house with a sprinkler system. Maybe you can extrapolate something useful from that for your own situation?
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Old 01-28-2011, 12:00 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX (Bellaire)
4,900 posts, read 13,663,551 times
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My bill doubles during sprinkler months and during the height of summer is almost triple winter amount.
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Old 01-28-2011, 11:11 PM
 
497 posts, read 1,478,480 times
Reputation: 758
I think some of you need to take classes in basic economics.

Apples to apples please.

The question is not "will it cost me money to water my lawn". It is rather, "will installing a sprinkler system increase or decrease the amount of water I AM ALREADY USING TO WATER MY LAWN NOW".

If you are a stupid person, you will install the irrigation system and set it to water too often, thereby driving up your water bill - and damaging your lawn.

If you have at least 2 or 3 brain cells you will set it to water just enough to keep you lawn healthy, which is presumably what you did before you installed an irrigation system.


Since a properly designed and installed irrigation system can water more efficiently than most people can by moving a hose around - the answer is that your water bill should remain the same or decrease.
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