| Press Release Archive
Austin Energy receives state grant to reduce
electric use by power guzzling soda machines
Austin Energy has received a $166,000
grant from the Texas Public Utility Commission to install
1,400 energy-saving devices on coin-operated soda machines
at schools, hotels, government agencies and commercial buildings.
The device, known by the trade name VendingMiser, reduces
a vending machine's electricity use by as much as a third
by powering down the machine's lighting, compressor and fan
when activity is idle, actually keeping sodas colder.
Soda machines are big guzzlers of electricity
each consuming 3,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year
at a cost of about $300 – almost a third of what it
takes to power the average-size home in Austin year-round.
The VendingMiser would save about 1.5 million kWh annually
or enough electricity to power 125 homes year-round.
The VendingMiser utilizes an infrared sensor
similar to a motion detector and state-of-the-art electronics
to power down the machine’s compressor, fan and lights
when it senses a 40-foot area around the vending machine is
unoccupied and powers them back up when someone enters the
area. Studies have shown that powering off the equipment reduces
the heat it gives, resulting in soda cans being colder by
1 degree than with that equipment running all the time. The
VendingMiser is not intended for use on vending machines with
perishable products or for outdoor vending machines.
For more information, contact Ed
Clark, Public Information.
Phone: (512) 322-6514
Pager: (512) 802-2000
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