As Californians face historic drought conditions, NRG is launching a new service plan combining water conservation and solar energy in one smart consumer bundle. NRG’s new smart water conservation and solar energy bundle includes a consultation with an NRG Home Solar specialist to determine how suitable a home is for solar, plus ways to help conserve water.
Steve McBee, President and CEO of NRG Home, announced recently: “We’re committed to giving consumers energy-related products that help them be mindful and deliberate about resource management in a way that suits their needs and lifestyles…. This is an opportunity for us to stand by our customers and get them the products they need when they need them.”
NRG–Rachio Partnership Brings “No-Brainer” Water Savings
The key technology behind the NRG water conservation/solar energy bundle is a smart irrigation controller from Rachio, Inc., a leading smart water home technology provider. The Rachio solution is certified with the EPA’s WaterSense program, and it is eligible for rebates from many of California’s water districts. By connecting it to a homeowner’s WiFi network and/or smartphone, Rachio’s Iro controller can reduce the water used for irrigation by an average of 30%.
“In many ways this is a no-brainer,” said Chris Klein, Rachio founder and CEO. “Our smart technology is a perfect fit for NRG Home’s vision of giving consumers innovative sustainable offerings. That’s especially true when you consider that up to half of California homes have irrigation systems, which use more water on average than any other residential end use.”
Changing the way people think about water, Rachio’s intelligent water management solutions are timely tools. As the innovative leader in smart WiFi sprinkler controllers, Rachio said that it has made it their mission “to apply cloud-based intelligence to household water management, saving customers money and conserving our precious natural resources.”
45,911,368 Gallons of Water Saved
“45,911,368 Gallons Saved,” Rachio states on its website, “and we have the stats to prove it.” The perfect answer for anyone tired of wasting money and water, Rachio’s smart sprinkler controller automatically adjusts when the weather changes. It even changes with the seasons, controlling an irrigation system to use the least amount of water to keep lawns looking their best.
Using a laptop or smart mobile device, the Rachio smart controller can be set from anywhere in the world. As Rachio explains, “We’ll let you know what’s going on with your system and you can adjust it from there as you see fit.” Taken from the Rachio website, water conservation is achieved in the following three simple ways:
- Your schedules are automatically adjusted for changes in seasons specific to your location.
- We watch for upcoming weather and save you water anytime we see an opportunity.
- We eliminate runoff by breaking your schedule up to maximize your soil’s absorption rate.
NRG Empowering Water Conservation & Positive Energy Choices
NRG Home Solar President Kelcy Pelger, Jr. stated, “For so many people across America, solar is a statement that they are making positive energy choices at home.” He added, “Empowering water conservation — particularly in California — is the right thing to do and a natural complement to helping these customers build on their environmental commitment.”
NRG Home is part of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), a Fortune 250 company delivering cleaner and smarter renewable energy choices. A leading consumer energy solutions provider, NRG Home unifies more than three million customers through a growing portfolio of seamlessly integrated power products, including retail electricity, home solar systems, and smart energy solutions. Offering “greater control over the creation and use of energy, both at home and on the go,” states NRG, allows customers to “generate, manage and share more of their own energy in ways that are clean, reliable and affordable.”
Starting in May, 2015, NRG Home will also be offering turf replacement rebates as an additional water conservation option. The rebates will be offered to incentivize California residents considering sustainable, drought-resistant plants. NRG believes that many homeowners want to go beyond smart irrigation control and start replacing turf with less water-intensive plantings.
Over time, NRG also plans to offer additional conservation options, such as low-flow fixtures, water barrels, and leak monitoring technology. Launched initially in Fresno and San Diego, the company announced that more areas of California will be eligible for the NRG Home Solar/Water bundle soon.
Picture Credits: 1) NRG Home 2) Rachio Inc. via flickr
