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The Waterwise Garden Irrigator Program: a cooperative model for urban water conservation
Doug HallIrrigation Australia WA Industry Development Officer
Irrigation Australia 2008 Conference22 May 2008
Dimensions of Cooperative Model• Existing and Emerging cooperation• Intra- and Inter-organizational cooperation• Integration of existing programs• Adds value to existing programs• Continual Improvement Framework• Quality Assurance Framework• Action Learning & Research• Conservation through Water Use Efficiency Gains
Sticky Change – The Ultimate Challenge
The Rubbish Tipof Great Plans
Reasons why plans for change fail:– Supply Driven not Demand Driven– Lack of Economic Drivers for industry & customers– Lack of Continual Improvement to adapt to learnings
Why Develop WGIP?• Raise standard of Waterwise Domestic Irrigation Systems
including their Water Use Efficiency
• Establish minimum specifications for Waterwise Domestic Irrigation Systems• Effectively create a Voluntary Industry ‘Standard’
• Raise standard of Industry Professionalism
• Establish a Framework for Industry Development• An evidence-based system for improving irrigation system
specifications and professional development
A Brief History of WGIP• Joint Venture of IAA and Water Corporation
• Main Drivers - Robin Weaver (IAA WA Region) & John Brennan (Water Corporation)
• One of family of Water Corporation Waterwise Programs – many dependent on irrigation
• WGIP 03 – 1st Iteration• Oct 03 to Feb 05 • 73 individual members• 30 business members
A Brief History of WGIP
• Problems emerged in 2005/06
• WGIP 03 Reviewed in 2006/07
• Established Waterwise Sub-committee
• WGIP 07 – 2nd Iteration• Developed and launched 1 Jul 07• 120 individual members (27 regional) and growing• 54 businesses (14 regional) and growing
A Quality Assurance Approach
• Set ‘minimum standards’ for all inputs and processes
• Monitor ‘critical points’
• Monitor outputs through targeted sampling - not end point testing of every system
• Corrective Actions – minor and major
• Supports Continual Improvement
WGIP and its ComponentsInstallers
(Unique WGIP#) System Specifications
Install & ScheduleSystem
Components& Design
System completed toSpecificationsAudit
Output WUE Gain Not directlymeasured
Feedback
Rebate Claimby Customer
Process
Inputs
GovernmentWaterwise
Rebate
Continual Improvement of ElementsInstallers
(Unique WGIP#) System Specifications
Install & ScheduleSystem
Components& Design
System completed toSpecificationsAudit
Output WUE Gain Not directlymeasured
Feedback
Rebate Claimby Customer
Process
Inputs
GovernmentWaterwise
Rebate
CI CI CI
CI
CI
CI
CI
CI CI
CI
CI
Continual Improvement of InstallersInstallers
(Unique WGIP#) System Specifications
Install & ScheduleSystem
Components& Design
System completed toSpecificationsAudit
Output WUE Gain Not directlymeasured
Feedback
Rebate Claimby Customer
Process
Inputs
GovernmentWaterwise
Rebate
CI
CI
CI
CI
Becoming a WGIP Member
*Application & *Member Fee
*Training Session
ManualDesign BasicsSystem SpecificationsIALWA Installation Stds
2 Open BookExams
*PassExams
WGIP #& Photo ID
MembershipGranted
Webpage Listing of Business
Evidence ofIndustry Experience
Controller Cards &Other WGIP
Materials
Foundation for more competent professional irrigation practitioners
Protecting program,members and customers
Pre-requisites for Rebate
Future Improvements to Installers
• Ongoing Professional Development– Evidence of attendance at manufacture days etc
• Better linkage to:– Certified Irrigation Installer (CII)– Certified Irrigation Contractor (CIC)– Irrigation Qualifications
• Requirement to be CII, CIC or have Quals?
CI of Design & System SpecificationsInstaller
(Unique WGIP#) System Specifications
Install & ScheduleSystem
Components& Design
System completed toSpecificationsAudit
Output WUE Gain Not directlymeasured
Feedback
Rebate Claimby Customer
Process
Inputs
GovernmentWaterwise
Rebate
CI
CI
CI
CI
Waterwise Irrigation System Specifications• Minimum specifications - including:
– Components • Encourage use of Smart Approved Watermark • To Australian Standards where existing
– Mains Connections - including legal requirements– Mainline, control valves, control wiring, cable
connections– Garden bed and turf irrigation– Controllers & Scheduling – System Handover
Establishing minimum voluntary ‘standards’
Future Improvements in Specifications
• Put Specifications of Web for general viewing
• Expect Specifications to be continually reviewed and improved based on feedback from:– WGIP members– Manufacturers– Other major stakeholders
• Foundation for National Specifications for Urban Domestic Irrigation Systems?
Continual Improvement of ComponentsInstallers
(Unique WGIP#) System Specifications
Install & ScheduleSystem
Components& Design
System completed toSpecificationsAudit
Output WUE Gain Not directlymeasured
Feedback
Rebate Claimby Customer
Process
Inputs
GovernmentWaterwise
Rebate
CI
CI
CI
CI
Continual Improvement of Components• System Specifications recommend/require use of:
– Smart Approved WaterMark components– Components to meet Australian Standards where
available– Controllers with specific capabilities (“5*” Controllers)
• Future improvements will add new:– Smart Approved WaterMark components– technologies– Australian Standards– Inputs from other jurisdictions
Continual Improvement of RebateInstallers
(Unique WGIP#) System Specifications
Install & ScheduleSystem
Components& Design
System completed toSpecificationsAudit
Output WUE Gain Not directlymeasured
Feedback
Rebate Claimby Customer
Process
Inputs
GovernmentWaterwise
Rebate
CICI
CI
Continual Improvement of Rebate• WGIP 03 – no rebate
• WGIP 07 – WA Government’s Irrigation System Rebate if system installed:– by WGIP member– to WGIP System Specifications
• Has established incentive for uptake of program by industry and customers
• Issues with 07/08 rebate:– Was $300 sufficient incentive?– Requirement to install new controller?
• 08/09 Amendments to rebate:– Irrigation System Rebate raised from $300 to $400– Existing controller okay but must meet specifications
Some Rebate Metrics – 1 May 08• Rebates Claimed for:
– 99 irrigation systems– By 28 (of 120) WGIP individual members
• 6 (of 27) regional members– By 16 (of 54) WGIP Businesses
• 4 (of 14) regional businesses
• Max rebates by an individual member – 21
• 3 individuals represent 46% of all Claims
Generating greater understanding of business and customer behavior
Number of WGIP Rebate Claims
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Aug-07 Sep-07 Oct-07 Nov-07 Dec-07 Jan-08 Feb-08 Mar-08 Apr-08
Num
ber o
f Cla
ims
Per MonthCumulative Total
Installers(Unique WGIP#) System Specifications
Install & ScheduleSystem
Components& Design
System completed toSpecificationsAudit
Output WUE Gain Not directlymeasured
Feedback
Rebate Claimby Customer
Process
Inputs
GovernmentWaterwise
Rebate
CI CI CI
CI
CI
CI
CI
CI CI
CI
Continual Improvement of Audit Process
Auditing Installed Systems• Every system installed under WGIP 07 can
potentially be audited by independent auditor
• Rebate claim by customer triggers audit process
• Corrective action required by installer if audit indicates system specifications not met
• Expulsion of WGIP from WGIP 07 if corrective actions not made by installer
Protects - brand of program, WGIP 07 members & customers
Some Audit Metrics
• 14 Systems Audited – no major corrective actions required
• Better than WGIP 03 mechanism BUT some issues to resolve
• Anecdotal evidence that number of claims << number of installs
• Feedback to WGIP individual and businesses commenced
Other Future Activities• Customer Training – Scheduling & Protecting WUE
• Customer Satisfaction
• Improve Adoption by Developers
• Better linkage to other Waterwise Programs
• Measure Irrigation Volumes – verify WUE dividend
• Prevent WUE Decay – improve maintenance & repair
• Support other jurisdictions interested in WGIP
Summary• WGIP is an evolving cooperative model
that:– Integrates a number of important existing
programs by IAL and other organizations– Adds value to these programs and does not
compete with them– Provides verification of improvements in
inputs, processes and outputs– Provides framework for ongoing
improvements in all components
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