Austin-based Banyan Water Makes a Splash in Water Conservation with Technological Solutions
Austin-based software company Banyan Water knows water is essential to human life. It’s integral to our sanitation, energy, food, and health systems yet in the United States, water infrastructure is one of the most underdeveloped utilities. According to the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, nearly 2 trillion gallons of drinkable water was wasted this past year as a result of 240,000 reported water breaks. The infrastructure’s inefficiencies have and will cost Americans, particularly as water rates are on the rise since 2010. An estimated 40 million Americans will lose access to affordable water if these trends continue.
For President and CEO of Banyan Water, Gillan Taddune, upgrading water infrastructure is not enough to mitigate water waste issues. To truly address natural resource scarcity and ensure long-term sustainability, advanced technological solutions are needed. As she wrote on The Environmental Leader last September, “Curtailing water-related risks goes beyond simple smart meters. Additional investment in internet of things-style hardware and analytical software capable of identifying leaks and inefficiencies needs to become a cornerstone of America’s present and future plans for the world’s most precious resource.”
To tackle these problems, Banyan Water has innovated a variety of technological tools to assist commercial users with more efficient, sustainable water management. The company applies smart devices, real-time monitoring, and analytics to help its customers, predominately real estate enterprises, track and control their water usage and cost. For one, Banyan Water provides an irrigation system that helps reduce water use by 50-70% and an indoor monitoring service that notifies of a leak. The company is constantly developing new ways to conserve water.
The company’s customers often highlight a marked difference when implemented Banyan Water’s software services. One of Banyan Water’s recent high-profile clients is the Thacher School in California which is prone to drought and water scarcity. Banyan Water technology allows the school to detect leaks and control usage as well as monitor different variables like plant and soil types and flow rates.
Michael Mulligan, head of the Thacher School, stated, “Implementing Banyan’s technology will be game-changing for the water management on our property, especially during times of extreme scarcity. We will gain significant insight into our campus-wide monthly water usage, prevent water loss through real-time leak detection, and are projected to save more than 11 million gallons of water per year while maintaining the quality of our landscape.”
Since 2011, Banyan Water has helped save over 2.3 billion gallons of water in the United States. This is enough to meet the water needs of more than 16,000 households for a year. The company received the Top Project of the Year Award in the Environmental Leader Product and Project Awards in June 2017.
Developing solutions for environmental sustainability like Banyan Water? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and receive up to 14% on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.
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