CALIFORNIA’S 1ST ‘SMART’ COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES IN IRVINE,

“SMART” TECHNOLOGY IS NOW INTEGRATED INTO HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS (HOA) CREATING THE 1^ST SMART COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION  –  Westpark Maintenance District in Irvine, CA.

Irvine, CA, February 22, 2018:  Westpark Maintenance District in Irvine is the Pilot community for an innovative “Smart” product called COMMON SENSE™, which has been designed specifically for HOA use, making their San Marino Park the first “Smart” community park in California.  In the same way that Smart technology has paved the way for progressive cities to evolve into Smart Cities and savvy homeowners to convert their homes into Smart Homes, the HOA – which is really an intermediary between the homeowner and the city – is now able to participate in the movement and realize the many benefits as well.  The “Smart” HOA is now here.

There are more than 33,000 HOAs in Southern California and that number is growing rapidly as Californians desire more affordable home ownership, life enhancing amenities, and a sense of community.  HOAs generally include common area amenities that utilize systems and equipment behind-the-scenes to support the beautiful common areas and parks that many people enjoy: pool equipment, street and area lighting, irrigation controllers, surveillance systems, gates, car charging stations and more.  These systems can now be equipped with sensors and connected securely to the internet so that they can be monitored, automated, and controlled remotely, to help solve real world problems, like carbon emissions, energy conservation or not having enough water.

Kimberly Weiss, President and CEO of COMMON SENSE™ shares, “The opportunity for our communities to take advantage of ‘Smart’ technologies is tremendous.  We can hugely expand efficiencies while at the same time improving the resident experience.  Now the lighting vendor doesn’t have to roll a truck to the site to check the lighting for operation and the pool vendor doesn’t have to visit the site every day just to test the pool water chemistry.  And, if there is a broken sprinkler, the system shuts down the irrigation valve automatically and notifies the landscaper with a text message. As our populations grow, conservation is crucial to overall sustainability, and this system is a big step in that direction.”

Specifically in San Marino Park, the COMMON SENSE™ modular system has equipped the pool equipment, lighting system, and irrigation system with sensors that are connected to a secure internet network, providing continual and automatic monitoring and information, sent securely to the cloud where it is compiled and analyzed.  Operational and analytical data is viewable and manageable by the community manager and service providers from secure, role-based dashboards.  In addition, a resident portal provides access for residents where they can see real-time information on the Olympic size pool and wading pool, electronically report a problem in the area and more.  As an added benefit to the homeowners, the entire park has been equipped with free Wi-Fi for residents’ use.  The platform provides up-to-the-minute information, sends email/SMS alerts to the community manager and service provider when a problem is detected, provides analytics, and provides the ability to control equipment remotely.  A key feature for pools is that the system tests pool water quality every fifteen minutes and makes adjustments as needed, and in the event of a problem, the service provider is notified.  With the increasing rate of illnesses related to unsanitary public swimming pool conditions, California Title 22 regulations now require commercial pools be tested and logged daily; this system makes complying with the regulation feasible.

Westpark Maintenance District, professionally managed by Powerstone Property Management is enthusiastic about the Pilot.  Karina Reta, the Community Manager explains, “This type of innovation and technology was a good fit for Westpark, giving us an opportunity to serve our clients in many ways, even better.  Now our residents can just check their smart phone to find out if a pool is open for use or occupied by swim team practice.  They can see what the current water temperature is or report an issue in the area.  Plus as a manager, I can see all of the Smart systems in one online dashboard, so I don’t have to log in to multiple separate systems, giving me real-time information and access, which in turn will serve our community and our residents, better.  Now our park, built in the 1980s, is among the most technologically advanced in California!”

About Karina Reta and Powerstone:  Karina Reta has been a Community Manager with Powerstone Property Management since July, 2011 and has been in the property management industry for over two decades.  Powerstone Property Management has served Southern California since 1993, and uses technology to increase efficiency and be more effective in helping their clients succeed.

About COMMON SENSE™:  COMMON SENSE™ is a business unit of Three Phase Electric Inc, a lighting and electrical firm in Southern California serving HOAs for more than 28 years. As applicable IoT innovations develop and mature, Three Phase Electric captures the proven ones that will most benefit HOAs.   Three Phase Electric and its’ ownership have received multiple industry awards, including the Excellence in Service Award from the California Association of Community Managers. Visit www.CommonSenseHOA.com.