We install smart sprinkler controllers, Rachio, Rain Bird WiFi, Hunter Hydrawise, every week. Rachio is the one we recommend most often, and the one customers ask about most. Here's our honest take.
What Does Rachio Actually Do?
A Rachio smart controller replaces your existing sprinkler timer. It connects to your WiFi and does three things that matter:
- Weather-based scheduling: It checks the forecast and skips watering when rain is coming. No more running sprinklers in a thunderstorm.
- Phone control: Start, stop, or adjust any zone from the app. Useful when you're on vacation or just don't want to walk to the garage.
- Water usage tracking: See exactly how much water each zone uses and get monthly reports.
Does It Actually Save Water?
Yes. In our experience with North Dallas installs, homeowners see a 20–30% reduction in water usage in the first year. The biggest savings come from:
- Skipping scheduled runs when it rained (or is about to)
- Seasonal auto-adjustment, less water in October than in July
- Identifying zones that are overwatering
For a typical Frisco or Little Elm home, that usually translates to meaningful savings on your summer water bill, month after month.
What Does It Cost?
The total installed cost depends on the size of your system (8 zones versus 16 zones) and which Rachio model makes sense for your setup. We handle everything: the controller, setup, WiFi connection, and zone programming. Most homeowners recoup the cost in water savings within the first year or two of summer bills.
Give us a call and we can walk you through the options for your specific system and give you a written estimate before anything gets installed.
Water Utility Rebates
Several North Texas water utilities offer rebates for EPA WaterSense-certified smart controllers, and Rachio qualifies for most of them. We can tell you if your local utility currently offers a rebate and help you apply for whatever they're offering. That makes the already-good math even better.
Our Recommendation
If your current timer is a basic dial-and-set model, upgrading to Rachio is one of the best investments you can make for your irrigation system. We install and configure them as part of our smart controller service, call (469) 980-0696 to schedule.