Up to $250 rebate available.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, residential outdoor water use in this country requires more than 9 billion gallons of water each day. In order to conserve potable water while reducing costs to the consumer, Tampa Bay Water Wise is offering rebates to homeowners who over-water their landscapes and install a soil moisture sensor (SMS) or evapotranspiration (ET) controller. Soil moisture sensors measure how much water is in the soil and will prevent an automatic irrigation/sprinkler system from watering if the soil is already wet enough. Evapotranspiration controllers monitor weather conditions, like temperature and humidity, to determine how much water your plants need, and then adjust the automatic watering schedule accordingly.
Eligible homeowners who over-water their landscapes, as determined by Tampa Bay Water Wise, will be able to save water with either the SMS or ET controller. To help ensure proper installation, applicants may work with a Tampa Bay Water Wise approved irrigation contractor. For more information regarding the rules, restrictions, and requirements, please review the Frequently Asked Questions section below, and the program’s Terms and Conditions.
While any licensed contractors may install a smart controller in accordance with our program rules, “Approved Contractors” can be listed on our website by attending a training session with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). These one day courses (or virtual training sessions) are designed to educate contractors about best practices in the installation of evapotranspiration (ET) and soil moisture sensor (SMS) controllers. Attendance by one employee will make your company approved to participate in the rebate program. Any other employees who install the device in association with the rebate must be trained by the employee who attended. The procedures for site evaluation and controller installation are available in this document: Recommendations for Optimizing Use of Smart Irrigation Controllers (UF IFAS). When available, upcoming training opportunities will be listed on this website as well as on the Florida Irrigation Society’s (FIS) website http://www.fisstate.org/. You can also join the FIS email list to receive notices about these upcoming training opportunities and other events.
The following 4 models are eligible for rebates. The rebate amount is flat (fixed) and calculated based on each soil moisture sensor’s manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP).
Soil Moisture Sensors Qualified Products
Brand | Model # | MSRP | Rebate (Flat) |
Toro | PSS (Sensor + Probe) | $ 210.00 | $ | 95.00
PSS (Probe Only) | $ 96.80 | $ | 44.00|
Hunter | Soil-Clik | $ 161.00 | $ | 73.00
Rainbird | SMRT-Y | $ 230.40 | $ | 105.00
Baseline | WaterTec S100 | $ 275.00 | $ | 125.00
The SMS and ET rebate is based on two costs: the cost of the product, and the cost of the labor. A total rebate of up to $125 is offered for each, up to a maximum rebate possible of $250. The reimbursable product cost is for anything included in the product packaging, and does not include costs for additional materials, hardware or other supplies. The reimbursable labor costs include all labor associated with the proper installation of the smart controller as required by the program including site evaluation, product installation, and any other associated labor costs.