Plan your schedule using your utility rates and weather data.
View the video tutorial here: https://youtu.be/aVlEnU1Z_n0.
What Is It?
The Wexus Irrigation Cost Calculator helps growers plan their weekly irrigation schedule and shows what your irrigation is actually costing you in energy bills. In this blog post, we'll show you how to use your Irrigation Cost Calculator and answer frequently asked questions about how it works.
Where do I find the Irrigation Cost Calculator?
The Cost Calculator is located on the bottom of any pump's equipment level dashboard. Select the desired pump from the drop down menu on the right hand side of the dashboard section of the Wexus platform. Once the page loads, scroll down to the bottom.
How do I Set My Irrigation Schedule?
On the right hand side of the Cost Calculator are four drop down menus where you can select the day and amount of time you would like an irrigation set to last. As you select the duration of each set, a blue rectangle will appear below the chart on the left. The longer the rectangle, the longer the set. The "demand and usage" cost and the irrigation schedule you select will appear below the set drop down menus.
You can slide the blue rectangles along the bottom of the chart to change the time of day the set occurs. By looking at the chart above, you will notice that the time you selected occurs during off-peak, partial-peak or on-peak times of day. In the key below, you will also see the cost of irrigating at a specified time of day. Evapotranspiration (ETo) is also tracked via a dark line across the day. When the blue irrigation rectangles are moved into partial-peak or on-peak times, the cost associated with the chosen schedule will adjust and the new cost will be shown on the right hand side along with a comparison of the projected cost increase versus the cheapest possible schedule.
Where Does the ETo & Weather Data Come From?
One of the questions, we often get is: "Where do we get our weather data?" Currently, weather data is pulled from the local stations geolocated nearest your selected irrigation pump and ETo data is then pulled from California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) & National Weather Service (NWS) networks.
As you set up the week's schedule, you can move from day to day, by clicking on the arrows next to the date, on the left hand side of the screen. If you want to use the same schedule each day, you can quickly copy the previous day's schedule by clicking the green button on the bottom right.
How Do I Switch from Daily to Weekly View?
To switch between the "Daily" view to the "Weekly" view, simply click on the button in the upper right hand corner of the feature. The Weekly view inputs your Daily irrigation schedule under the blue bars, shows the week's predicted ETo from nearby weather stations, and then calculates your estimated energy costs for that week as well as estimated monthly peak power demand surcharges that will show up on your energy bill for that irrigation pump.
How Can I Sign Up for a Free Demo with My Data?
That was a brief walk through of the Wexus Cost Calculator feature. If you’d like more info about how Wexus’ software platform can drive efficiency across your farming operation, click here to sign up for a free demo or contact us at info@wexusapp.com.