Rebate Programs 101

With our California drought showing no end in site, a number of  business and private home owners are  considering redoing their landscapes and irrigation systems and taking advantage of the available rebate programs out there for retro-fitting your existing irrigation systems to drip or retro-fitting your existing pop-up sprinkler nozzles to a more efficient rotary type delivery nozzle and there are rebates available on the commercial site level to replace existing popup sprinkler stems and bodies with a type of popup stem that will help the client save water. 
There needs to be caution however and investigation on what rebate programs are available to you, what requirements have to be met by your water provider. 
There are various product types eligible for commercial client rebates such Weather based "Smart" irrigation controllers, Central computer irrigation controller systems, Large high efficiency nozzles, Rotating nozzles for pop-up spray heads, In-stem flow regulators, Rain barrels, and many more water efficient materials are going to be on the rebate horizon with our current drought showing no signs of letting up.
With many local cities offering rebates on turf removal, it is a wise choice in those areas where turf is not being actively used and maintenance to that turf area is a hassle and costly. 
Be careful when hiring contractors that can do your project at little or no cost or for just signing over your rebate check to them as you may get a big surprise on what you have agreed to. I have heard horror stories of yards and yards of ugly grey crushed gravel with common everyday low water shrubs thrown in here or there with no weed barrier installed orwithout any type of irrigation system. The client is left to water the newly planted shrubs and ground cover and God knows what they will think or will have to do to get rid of the weeds once they do get a good rain or as a result of  watering and having no weed barrier to help curb those potential weeds.
Inquire from the contractor the procedures,quantity and quality of the groundcover materials they propose to use at your home or business, and also ask for quality and variety in your plant selection choices. So what if you are not paying anything for the project, the contractor only lives with his or her installation one time, you on the other hand have to live with their work forever.
Do your part to reduce your water and energy cost and be aware of what is available and practical for your unique landscaping needs.
See you back here at "Ed's Blogs as I  will give you a synthetic turf  facts and tips in my next blog so stay tuned and share this blog with all your friends and business associates !
Thank-you !
Ed
* Great water rebate site : www.bewaterwise.com  
* Great web site to hire a certified water manager to help you efficiently manage your water use at  your home or business:
   www.clca.org         www.clca.us/water