Accuwater

Accuwater

Written by Tiffany Young Thursday, 24 April 2008

If you enjoy the spring flowers and lush plants along the Arboretum this time of year, you can thank Tom Watson, president and CEO of Accuwater, for his part in making Northwest Austin green, in more ways than one.

The Arboretum, Riata Corporate Park, Riata Crossing and Dell Inc. all use Watson’s centralized, weather-based irrigation controllers to optimize their property’s water schedules, keeping lawns green without wasting water.

Without an irrigation system like Accuwater, companies must rely on their own planning to know when is best to water landscapes, which is why you may see some companies or apartment complexes watering while it is raining. But the Accuwater irrigation control system communicates with a data center on a minute-by-minute basis through weather forecasts and local weather changes while taking into account the type of grass, plants and shading in each irrigation area.

The Accuwater service is web-based and administrators can access their account online. New customers with an irrigation system already in place can replace their current system with an Accuwater system, or customers without a current system can have Accuwater installed, which includes connection to the internet through a corporate network.

Originally Watsons business catered to residential properties, but he realized that corporations needed irrigation systems also, and were more likely to make a larger investment in a more high-tech system. So, Watson remodeled his controllers to withstand the outdoors and control more irrigation zones. Now most of his customers are commercial, such as apartment complexes, condos and homeowners associations.

Watson grew up in Illinois, got his degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois and then moved to Texas in ’77. Before starting his business in 2002, Watson worked as a civil engineer in the oil industry in Houston for several years. He then moved into information technology, followed by the technology business working for Compaq and Apple in the ’90s.

Watson decided to start his business in water conservation when he recognized how sparse water was becoming.

“I was just ready to start my own business and realized how much water was being wasted,” Watson said.

While he admits he knew little more than most about energy and water conservation, his concern has grown in the last ten years.

“I think it started while living in Scotland,” said Watson. “Even then, gas was $4.50 a gallon. Their lifestyles, by necessity, were more in tune with conserving energy.”

Watson is seeing more interest in his irrigation system with growing awareness of energy conservation in recent years.

Now Watson, one sales person and one customer service person take care of Accuwaters growing business, with the help of outsourcing, which makes for some long work hours. But Watson is upbeat about his business, even after admitting he had been up working until midnight the night before.

“That’s just the nature of running a small technology business,” Watson said.

Two of the greatest advantages for Accuwater’s customers, Watson said, are doing the right thing with respect to saving water and saving money.

Water conservation = energy savings

Water conservation itself is important, but as Watson explained, conserving water also conserves energy. Water and wastewater treatment and pumping account for 58 percent of all electricity used by the city, according to “Water Conservation Programs - A Planning Manual” published by the American Water Works Association.