Resource Conserving Landscaping

This Cost Calculator is designed to estimate the cost of converting your current landscape to one that
requires less irrigation and produces less waste by replacing trees, turf, shrubs, and flowers that require
more irrigation and grow faster with varieties that require less irrigation and grow slower. The Cost
Calculator demonstrates that converting to a water saving landscape is often cost competetive.
Although the initial cost of converting a landscape is significant, it is an investment that often leads to net
cost savings over time from lower water bills and lower landscaping maintenance costs.
To use the Cost Calculator, you will need to have information on the configuration of your current
landscape, including the proportion that is comprised of flowers, turf, shrubs, and ground cover. You will
need to know the length of the growing season in your region, which can be found at:
http://www.warnercnr.colostate.edu/avprojects/globe/phenology/images/layout_growing.jpg.

You will also need to divide your landscape into three zones: a regular watering zone, an occasional
watering zone, and a natural rainfall (or zero watering) zone. Information on watering zones can be
found at: http://agnewsarchive.tamu.edu/drought/drghtpak98/drght52.html. The calculator defines the
regular watering zone as an area that is watered four to eight times per month during the growing
season; the occasional watering zone is an area watered between one and three times per month during
the growing season; and the natural rainfall zone is an area that is never watered. Irrigation frequency
for the three zones can be changed in the Cost Data tab if you have site-specific data.

Based on the size of the project, the Cost Calculator tab estimates the initial, 3 year, 6 year, 10 year, and
average annual costs for your original landscape and a water saving retrofit. To use the Cost Calculator,
fill in the blue cells on the "Inputs" tab.

In the Cost Data tab, EPA provides national averages or ranges of costs. Cost data collected from
sources dated before 2006 are adjusted for inflation. If you prefer, you can substitute your own cost data
into the green cells. If you have a single cost estimate instead of a range, enter it in both the Low Cost
Estimate and High Cost Estimate cells. Because the initial costs of a landscaping retrofit are greatly
dependent on individual site decisions, EPA encourages users to assess the suitability of initial cost data
for their site.

The EHS Benefits tab provides a summary of the environmental, health, and safety benefits of
converting to a water saving landscape.

Please direct questions or comments on this Cost Calculator to: Jean Schwab, U.S. EPA GreenScapes
Program Manager, schwab.jean@epa.gov or 703-308-8669.
Instructions (You may want to print these.)

To start, click on the Inputs tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet.

General Information. The landscaped area includes all vegetated or mulched areas of your property.
Decks, driveways, patios, gazebos, and other hardscapes are not included in this area. If you do not
know the length of the growing season at your site, click on the hyperlink for a reference map.
Water Bill. If you do not pay for water, answer "no" in the first drop-down box and move on to the next
step. If you do pay for water, indicate the type of rate you have. A fixed rate charges a constant amount
every month, regardless of how much water you use. A per gallon rate charges per volume of water
used, usually per 1000 gallons. A fixed, then per gallon, rate charges a minimum fee and then an
incremental charge based on the volume of water used. After selecting your rate, fill in the blue cells
indicated with your rate information. Depending on what rate type you choose, some cells may not need
to be filled in.

Landscape Maintenance. Select who maintains your landscape from the drop-down box. If it
maintained by an onsite employee, you can move on to the next step. If it is maintained by a private
firm, fill in travel time and the frequency of visits.

Current Landscape. Fill in all of the blue cells for the configuration of your landscape. The regular
watering zone is the area that is watered between 4 and 8 times per month during the growing season.
The occasional watering zone is the area that is watered between 1 and 3 times per month during the
growing season. The natural rainfall zone is the area that is never watered. You can change irrigation
frequency for the regular and occasional watering zones on the Cost Data tab if you think a different
irrigation frequency would be more appropriate.

Water Saving Retrofit. Fill in the blue cells for the configuration of your retrofit. If you do not have a
particular retrofit in mind yet, fill in realistic values for now (you can go back later and change numbers
to see how different decisions drive water savings and cost). Bear in mind that water saving landscapes
generally consist of high proportions of shrubs and trees and low proportions of flowers and turf.
Converting vegetation to pavement, patios, or other hardscapes is not an option provided, as converting
landscaped areas to impervious surfaces is generally not considered to be an environmentally
preferable practice. In terms of the schedule for pruning trees and shrubs, note that drought resistant
varieties will grow slower and require less maintenance.

Government Rebate. Some local governments offer rebates for converting conventional landscapes to
water saving landscapes. If your site is eligible for a rebate, enter "yes" into the drop-down box and fill
in the blue cells with the rebate amount. If not, enter "no" into the drop-down box and proceed to the
next step.

Yard Waste. If you do not pay for yard waste removal, enter "no" into the drop-down box and proceed
to the next step. If you do pay for yard waste removal, enter "yes" into the drop-down box, indicate
whether you pay by weight or volume, and fill in the subsequent blue cells with information on waste
quantities.

After entering inputs, click on the Cost Data tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet. If you have your own
cost data, you can enter it into the green cells. Otherwise, leave the green cells as they are.

View the Cost Calculator and Cost Graphs tabs to view the costs associated with each landscape.

EPA encourages users to investigate how different proposed retrofits affect water usage and cost. The
largest single determinant of water usage is the percentage of your landscape moved from the regular
watering zone to the natural rainfall zone. A major cost driver is the area of flowers converted to shrubs
and trees.
Inputs

General Information
Total Landscape Area (Sq. Feet) 30000
How long is your growing season (in months)? 7
Your Water Bill
Yes
Does your facility pay for water?

What type of rate do you have? Per Gallon

Cost per 1000 gallons ($) $3.00
-
-
Current Landscape Maintenance
Who maintains your facility's landscape? A private landscaping firm

What is the landscaper's travel time (in minutes)? 30

How many times does the firm visit per year? 6
Your Current Landscape
Area in Regular Watering Zone (Sq. Feet) 20000
Area in Occasional Watering Zone (Sq. Feet) 5000
Area in Natural Rainfall Zone (Sq. Feet) 5000
Area of Flower Beds (Sq. Feet) 2500
Area of Turf (Sq. Feet) 24000
Area of Shrubs and Ground Cover (Sq. Feet) 2500
Area of Trees Outside Shrub Area (Sq. Feet) 1000
How many times do you currently prune your shrubs per year? 2
How many times do you currently prune your trees per year? 2
Water Saving Retrofit
Overall, what is the area of your landscape would be converted
to a more water saving zone? (e.g. from regular to occasional or
natural, and from occasional to natural) (Sq. Feet) 15000
Area in Regular Watering Zone (Sq. Feet) 5000
Area in Occasional Watering Zone (Sq. Feet) 5000
Area in Natural Rainfall Zone (Sq. Feet) 20000
Area of Flower Beds (Sq. Feet) 1000
Area of Turf (Sq. Feet) 10500
Area of Shrubs and Ground Cover (Sq. Feet) 15000
Area of Trees Outside Shrub Area (Sq. Feet) 3500
How many times would you prune these shrubs per year? 1
How many times would you prune these trees per year? 1
Government Rebate
Does your local government offer a rebate for converting to a Yes
water saving landscape?
$/Square Foot
Max Rebate ($) (Leave blank if there is no max) $5,000
Yard Waste Disposal
Yes
Do you pay for yard waste disposal by quantity?
Volume
Is your rate measured by weight or volume?
What is your rate? ($/cubic foot) $20.00
Estimate cubic feet of yard waste your current landscape
generates per month in the growing season. 200
Estimate cubic feet of yard waste your water saving retrofit will
generate per month in the growing season 150
Resource Conserving Landscaping Cost Calculator

Conventional Landscape Low Cost Estimate High Cost Estimate

Initial Cost $0 $0
Gallons of Water Used Annually 261,919 539,245
Annual Water Cost Due to Irrigation $786 $1,618
Annual Flower Bed Maintenance $4,600 $9,475
Annual Turf Maintenance $3,312 $4,752
Annual Shrub and Ground Cover Maintenance $325 $550
Annual Tree Maintenance $50 $190
Landscape Firm's Travel Cost $228 $228
Landscape Firm's Profit $851 $3,799
Annual Maintenance Cost $9,366 $18,993
Annual Yard Waste Disposal Cost $28,000.00 $28,000.00
Annual Water Maintenance and Disposal Cost $38,152 $48,611
3 Year Cost $114,456 $145,834
6 Year Cost $228,912 $291,667
10 Year Cost $381,520 $486,112

Water Saving Landscape Low Cost Estimate High Cost Estimate

Initial Cost $28,800 $55,800
Rebate $0 $0
Net Initial Cost $28,800 $55,800
Gallons of Water Used Annually 77,035 169,477
Annual Water Cost Due to Irrigation $231 $508
Annual Flower Bed Maintenance $1,840 $3,790
Annual Turf Maintenance Cost $1,449 $2,079
Annual Shrub and Ground Cover Maintenance $1,800 $3,150
Annual Tree Maintenance $140 $630
Landscape Contractor's Travel Cost $228 $228
Landscape Contractor's Profit $546 $2,469
Annual Maintenance Cost $6,002 $12,346
Annual Yard Waste Disposal Cost $21,000.00 $21,000.00
Annual Water Maintenance and Disposal Cost $27,234 $33,854
3 Year Cost $110,501 $157,363
6 Year Cost $192,201 $258,926
10 Year Cost $301,135 $394,344
Resource Conserving Landscaping Cost G

Total Cost Over Time (Average)*

$500,000
$400,000
$300,000
Cost

$200,000
$100,000
$0
Net Initial Cost 3 Year Cost 6 Year Cost 10 Year Cost
Time
Original Landscape
Water Saving Landscape
*This graph is generated using the average of the high and low cost estimates for each type of landscape.

Average Annual Water, Maintenance and Yard Waste

Disposal Cost
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
Cost

$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$0
Conventional Landscape Water Saving Landscape
Landscape Type

Low Cost Estimate High Cost Estimate

Resource Conserving Landscaping Cost Data

Water Data Value Sources Data Explanation

Watering Wisely: Irrigation Ideas to Help You Save Water & Money. City of Sarasota This source states that a good volume of
Public Works Department. Sept. 5, 2006. water per irrigation is between 2/3 and 3/4
<www.sarasotagov.com/LivingInSarasota/Contents/PublicWorks/PWPDFFiles/WaterBro of an inch. These two values were
Inches of Water Per Irrigation 0.71 chure.pdf> averaged.
This source states that one gallon of water
Inches to Gallons/Sq. Foot Landscape Irrigation Formulas. Oct. 3, 2006. applied to one square foot is equivalent to
Conversion Factor 0.62 <http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/formulas.htm> 1.6 inches of rain.
Gallons of Water Per Square
Foot Per Irrigation 0.44020

Conversion Cost Units Low Estimate High Estimate Sources Data Explanation
Planning, Materials and These values reflect averages of multiple
Installation Cost $/Sq. Foot $1.92 $3.72 See additional "Initial Cost" worksheet data sources.

Irrigation Requirements Units Low Estimate High Estimate Sources Data Explanation

Low: All Plants Have a Place in Xeriscape

Landscapes . Sept. 5, 2006. The high source states that the maximum
<http://agnewsarchive.tamu.edu/drought/ amount of water that turf needs is 1.5
drghtpak98/drght52.html>. inches per week. This number was
High: Watering Lawns the Right Way. University multiplied by 4 to derive 6 inches per month.
of Illinois Extension. Accessed on Sept. 6, 2006. 6 inches per month was divided by .71
<http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/lawnchallenge/les inches of water per irrigation to arrive at
Regular Watering Zone Irrigations/Month 4 8 son4.html>. 8.45, which was rounded to 8.

Although the source states that plants in

the occasional watering zone should be
All Plants Have a Place in Xeriscape watered every 2 to 3 weeks, we have
Landscapes . Sept. 5, 2006. expanded the range to between 1 and 3
<http://agnewsarchive.tamu.edu/drought/ times per month to make sure all watering
Occasional Watering Zone Irrigations/Month 1 3 drghtpak98/drght52.html>. ranges are covered in th calculator.
All Plants Have a Place in Xeriscape
Landscapes . Sept. 5, 2006.
<http://agnewsarchive.tamu.edu/drought/
Natural Rainfall Zone Irrigations/Month 0 0 drghtpak98/drght52.html>.

Maintenance Data Units Low Estimate High Estimate Sources Data Explanation
Wade, Gary L. and Winans, Elizabeth. Hort
Management 6.0. Department of Horticulture.
Flower Bed Maintenance Cost $/Sq. Foot/Year $1.84 $3.79 The University of Georgia. 2005.
Wade, Gary L. and Winans, Elizabeth. Hort
Management 6.0. Department of Horticulture.
Turf Maintenance Base Cost $/Sq. Foot/Year $0.04 $0.10 The University of Georgia. 2005. In order to calculate high and low
$/Sq. Wade, Gary L. and Winans, Elizabeth. Hort maintenance estimates, we used the inputs
Turf Maintenance Additional Foot/Year/Month Management 6.0. Department of Horticulture. from this model for "well maintained
Cost of grow season $0.014 $0.014 The University of Georgia. 2005. landscapes" and a "minimally maintained
Wade, Gary L. and Winans, Elizabeth. Hort landscapes".
Shrub Maintenance Cost Management 6.0. Department of Horticulture.
Without Pruning $/Sq. Foot/Year $0.11 $0.20 The University of Georgia. 2005. To develop a site-specific estimate based
Wade, Gary L. and Winans, Elizabeth. Hort on specific flowers, turf, shrubs, and trees
Tree Maintenance Cost Without Management 6.0. Department of Horticulture. on your site, the most recent version of
Pruning $/Sq. Foot/Year $0.03 $0.17 The University of Georgia. 2005. Hort Management can be purchased online
Wade, Gary L. and Winans, Elizabeth. Hort at:
Management 6.0. Department of Horticulture. http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/hortma
Tree and Shrub Pruning Cost $/Sq. Foot/Year $0.01 $0.01 The University of Georgia. 2005. nage.htm or from:
Wade, Gary L. and Winans, Elizabeth. Hort Professional Grounds Management Society
Base Visit Cost for Private $/Visit/Hour Management 6.0. Department of Horticulture. 720 Light Street
Landscaping Firms Traveled $75.92 $75.92 The University of Georgia. 2005. Baltimore, MD 21230-3816
Low: Key Factors for Profitable Mowing.
Landscape Management. Sept. 1,
2005.http://landscapemanagement.net/landscap
e/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=183177
Profit for Private Landscaping High: Wade, Gary L. Personal communication.
Firms % of Total Cost 10% 25% August 18, 2006.

Inflation Adjustment Table

Equals this many
One Dollar in… 2006 Dollars
2005 $1.04
Source: CPI Inflation Calculator. <http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl>
Resource Conserving Landscaping Initial Cost

Initial Cost
Low Estimate ($/Sq. Foot) High Estimate ($/Sq. Foot) Sources Data Explanation
Data Provided by Kent Sovocool, Senior
Conservation Research Analyst, Southern This is the result of a survey conducted by the SNWA
Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). Sept. 15, on 87 residential conversions. The average
$3.40 $3.40 2006. conversion area of this survey was 1306 sq. feet.
Water Resources Engineering, Inc.
Overview of Retrofit Strategies: A Guide for
Apartment Owners and Managers. May
2002. p. 10.
<www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/Book1.p
$1.13 $4.52 df>.
This source estimated that most conversions cost
Kent Sovocool, Senior Conservation between two and four dollars. The initial cost is
Research Analyst, Southern Nevada Water highly variable depending on project size and
Authority. Personal Communication. Sept. complexity. Larger, less complex projects tend to be
$2.00 $4.00 15, 2006. less expensive per square foot.

Granger, William A. Cash for Plants: In the Otay Water District in southern California, the
Encouraging Homeowners and Homeowner cost of water saving retrofits for homeowner
Associations to Remove Unused Turf associations was between $1.14 and $2.97 per
$1.14 $2.97 areas. Feb. 7, 2006. square foot.
1.92 3.72 Average

Inflation Adjustment Table

One Dollar in… Equals this many 2006 Dollars
2002 $1.13
2003 $1.10
2004 $1.07
2005 $1.04
Source: CPI Inflation Calculator. <http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl>
Resource Conserving Landscaping Environmental, Health and Safety Benefits

Converting your landscape to a water saving landscape makes environmental and economic sense.

Converting to a water saving landscape:

Conserves water because water saving landscapes require less irrigation than conventional turfs and
flowers.

Conserves fossil fuels because minimizing turf grasses and lawns reduces the need for mowing and
trimming, and associated fuel use to power mowers and trimmers.

Reduces waste/demand for landfill space because water saving plants are often slow growing,
especially compared to conventional turf grasses, creating less waste and reducing landfill demand in
areas that landfill green waste.
Reduces air pollution and improves air quality because minimizing turf grass reduces the need for
mowing and associated air emissions.
Reduces runoff because water-wise landscaping requires grouping turf areas and plants according to
water needs, which reduces runoff losses.

Retards erosion because reducing runoff can retard erosion, depending on the surrounding landscape.

Supports local ecology because water saving plants are often native plants, which are uniquely adapted
to the local ecosystem, and are better suited than non-native plants to support local flora and fauna, and to
resist drought and disease.