IRVINE, CA — (Marketwired) — 11/18/14 — are becoming less of a conceptual ideal and more of a reality. In fact, 31 million smart home systems are expected to be installed by 2017. Home automation via the Internet of Things brings numerous benefits — but what if these benefits could extend to outside the home as well? With , they can.
Now available for , Blossom is a smart watering system with automated weather intelligence that allows you to simplify your life by monitoring and controlling your yard–s watering schedule from anywhere and at any time with a smart phone, tablet or computer. By taking into account rainfall and only using the amount of water needed based on weather conditions, Blossom conserves water and significantly reduces water utility bills.
Blossom was founded by people from some of the world–s most powerful brands, including Skype, Vizio, Microsoft, Linksys and Cisco.
A large portion of residential irrigation controllers are placed outside the home (usually attached to a wall), where Wi-Fi is limited. Others are installed in the garage in areas that also have wireless connectivity limitations (behind a water heater tank, for example).
Blossom addresses these connectivity challenges by using Powerline, which makes the installation process simple and provides a highly-reliable connection. With Powerline technology, Blossom turns electrical outlets into Internet connections — making its range essentially limitless for the home. It goes where others can–t. Blossom is the only sprinkler controller that is built to be deployed indoors or outdoors — it has been engineered to withstand the elements. For users that may prefer a Wi-Fi solution, Blossom also provides this as an alternative.
We have a problem: Almost half of the water used for outdoor irrigation is wasted. Most residential irrigation systems rely on archaic controllers that don–t take actual water needs, based on the local weather and vegetation, into account. Blossom is smarter than traditional –mindless– controllers — it leverages the power of cloud computing to determine an optimal irrigation schedule. In fact, traditional sprinkler controllers are not controllers at all, they are simply timers — going on or off at pre-designated times. This is problematic, as the water consumption needs of plant life aren–t based on time, they–re based on local weather conditions. For example, your lawn is going to consume more water on a hot day than on a cool day. Blossom uses cloud technology to gather local forecast and daily data from thousands of weather stations and satellites and combines it with user feedback to create an optimized watering schedule. And, because every yard is a diverse ecosystem of grass, trees and plants, Blossom–s technology ensures that each section of a yard is specifically watered based on layout and vegetation.
With apps for iOS and Android, Blossom not only determines an optimal irrigation schedule, it also makes taking control of your yard a breeze, no matter where you are. Setting Blossom up is simple. It works with your current system–s wires, valves and sprinklers — it–s an easy retrofit, not a rip and replace. Simply remove the old controller, mount the Blossom controller, connect the existing valve wires, and download the Blossom app to be up and running in less than 15 minutes. In addition to giving you control of your own yard, Blossom is always looking for ways to better help you — it gets smarter based on your input. Through your smart phone, tablet or computer, you can make adjustments to the schedule based on your personal preferences.
Priced at $179, Blossom can pay for itself in water cost savings in less than one year. Blossom — and all of its built-in intelligence — is comparably priced to a conventional outdoor 12-station sprinkler controller. Once installed, Blossom can shave up to 30 percent off of future water bills.
“We know what it takes to build a reliable product that scales in the cloud and is cost effective,” noted Blossom founder Manrique Brenes. “Blossom is the culmination of the expertise we, as the company–s founders, gained in related fields combined with our desire to create something impactful across multiple sectors. With Blossom, we–re not only making users– lives easier, we–re helping them save money, conserve water and protect the environment for future generations.”
Blossom is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter and priced at $89 for early adopters. The first units are slated to ship in January 2015. Please visit for all of the details.
With headquarters in Irvine, California, the team behind Blossom, a smart water controller that cuts utility bills and saves water, knows a thing or two about the need for water conservation. Blossom leverages the power of cloud computing and real time weather data to optimize the irrigation schedule used to manage existing sprinklers. Blossom also gives users easy access to control the watering of their garden from their smart phone, tablet or computer. With 75 prior patent filings between them, and backing from companies such as Vizio and Accton, Blossom–s founders are on a mission to leverage their experience in consumer electronics, water resources, networking and hardware to bring a product to market that can make a difference.
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Justine Mrsich
Lages & Associates
(949) 453-8080
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