by Brianna Crandall — January 30, 2015—Banyan Water, a leader in the emerging field of smart water management, just launched Banyan Water Central this week, its second-generation water management platform that provides detailed data and analysis of water use by commercial and multifamily properties, along with a comprehensive set of tools to manage both indoor and landscape water use. The launch fits with Banyan Water’s philosophy that better water management is not only a key source of profit for clients, but a requirement in meeting the needs of a growing population.
As part of a full suite of water management services, Banyan Water Central serves as the information and monitoring hub that enables facilities managers, property managers or Banyan’s water managers to review real-time and historical statistics and trends to identify specific savings opportunities. Real-time alerts notify users when water flow or consumption anomalies are detected, significantly reducing the response time versus the traditional process, which requires receipt of the monthly utility invoice and report before corrective action can be taken. The platform was designed with a responsive design that can be accessed in full from any Internet-connected device.
“Water is both a rapidly growing utility cost and an essential and limited natural resource, so the technologies behind smart water management enable a new level of cost and usage control that is increasingly necessary,” said Gillan Taddune, chief executive officer of Banyan Water. “With our new Banyan Water Central platform, we’re providing unprecedented visibility into consumption patterns that enables properties to protect the investment in their landscape while reducing water use by an average of more than 65 percent.”
Banyan Water Central delivers insights and information through two primary features:
- Dashboards transform water data into actionable intelligence: Key performance indicators (KPIs) summarize water use from the portfolio level down to individual water meters, while historical comparisons and projected water use help prioritize efficiency efforts. In addition, real-time alerts notify users when water flow or consumption anomalies are detected.
- Data Explorer provides in-depth insight into water use: Multiple meters can be plotted simultaneously to understand portfolio trends, and water use can be compared to historical and target levels. Users can aggregate data in monthly, daily, hourly, and 15-minute data intervals.
Banyan Water Central works with irrigation control and flow-monitoring hardware to deliver visibility and control into water use while generating direct water and cost savings.
Smart Water Management
Banyan Water Central is part of Banyan Water’s “Smart Water Management” system, a comprehensive program of monitoring and controlling a property’s irrigation and indoor water use. The three-part process includes:
- Assess: Banyan begins with a water assessment of the property to determine baseline usage, identify outstanding issues, and estimate savings opportunities.
- Optimize: With real-time visibility and management tools, Banyan Water Managers identify areas for efficiency improvements and quickly reduce water use.
- Manage: The company provides ongoing system monitoring, reporting, and management as a service to ensure continued water efficiency and money savings for a property or portfolio.
Banyan Water manages irrigation systems in real time, factoring in soil moisture, rain events and evaporation, and only applies water as necessary. Irrigation is timed to maximize water uptake and minimize evaporation, and zones are prioritized by need to ensure that driest areas receive water first, explains the company.
Taddune noted that in 2014 alone, Banyan Water saved clients 560 million gallons of water, equal to the amount of water used by 47,000 homes for one month and representing a 71 percent savings.
