Leading Retailers and Shopping Center Managers Find Green Savings Outside with WeatherTRAK Smart Water Management Network
 

NRF - Retail’s BIG Show, New York, NY — January 14, 2008 — WeatherTRAK smart water management network customers saved one billion gallons of water, 1.5 billion watt-hours of power and two million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2007, announced the solution’s manufacturer HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc. WeatherTRAK customers, including Cushman & Wakefield, The Westfield Group and other retail industry leaders, are “going green” with smart water management to meet sustainability and cost-saving objectives.

Long-term water shortages and fast-rising water rates are prompting corporate responsibility officers and others seeking green programs to look outdoors, where more than half of our urban water supply is applied. That’s because landscapes, which contribute 20 percent of property value, are typically overwatered by 30-to-300 percent. All that excess water leads directly to urban runoff pollution and property destruction such as asphalt cracks, rot and mold, whose costs run 5-to-10 times water bills. Moreover, water waste exacerbates global warming as 2,010 pounds of CO2 are emitted along with every million gallons of water consumed.

By gaining control over their water use, WeatherTRAK customers comply with new conservation legislation, earn US Green Building Council LEED™ certification points, save energy and conserve billions of cups of precious drinking water. Additionally, the WeatherTRAK smart water management system reduces utility and maintenance costs, enhances tenant and property value and achieves positive ROI in less than two years.

Monty Stephens, a Westfield general manager in Solano, CA, first heard about WeatherTRAK smart water management through a water agency program that subsidizes the solution for qualifying customers.

“Westfield Solano is a high-profile destination for the entire community, so we are proud to raise awareness of WeatherTRAK smart water management, and to serve as a role model for our retailers, customers and other businesses,” says Mr. Stephens. He adds, “We’re demonstrating that by watering landscapes intelligently we can reduce our environmental impact, avoid costly and unsightly runoff-related property damage, reduce water bills and improve plant health for enhanced curb appeal.”

The WeatherTRAK solution is EPA-proven to apply the right amount of water at the right time. WeatherTRAK customers simply tell the controller about their plants, soil, slope and sun exposure, and the system creates a personal watering schedule that is automatically adjusted as the local weather changes. Entire groups of WeatherTRAK controllers can be centrally managed via an easy-to-use website. View a demo.

“Forward-thinking retail executives are looking for cost-effective ways to achieve sustainability at their stores and shopping centers,” notes Chris Spain, president and CEO, HydroPoint. “Because of the powerful green multiplier effect smart water management delivers, companies achieve more for their bottom lines and the planet by selecting WeatherTRAK.”

To learn more about WeatherTRAK smart water management, contact WeatherTRAK representative Neil Coppinger at 800.362.8774, ext. 134 or ncoppinger@hydropoint.com.

About WeatherTRAK
WeatherTRAK smart water management from HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc. is the proven green initiative that enables 13,000 subscribers to protect and improve property valuation by continuously optimizing irrigation and eliminating water-related property destruction and liabilities. Twenty-three independent studies prove that the WeatherTRAK network maximizes water conservation and improves landscape health. A California EPA-funded study proves WeatherTRAK's ability to reduce runoff pollution by 71 percent. Additionally, the WeatherTRAK product line received perfect scores across the board on the Smart Water Application Technology™ protocol, developed by a consortium of public agencies to objectively measure smart controller performance. WeatherTRAK solutions are eligible for all public agency rebate programs and meet the highest U.S. standards for irrigation equipment, the State of California's. Headquartered in Petaluma, California, HydroPoint is privately owned and operated. For more information, visit www.weathertrak.com.