February 17, 2004 News Media Release

Free energy-saving vending machine devices still available for Austin area businesses and organizations

You may not own that soda machine in the break room of your business or organization, but you pay for the electricity to run it - as much as $300 a year for each machine. To put that into perspective, that's about one-third of the electricity consumed annually by the average home.

Austin Energy still has free energy-saving devices known as VendingMisers available and will send a contractor to install the device on your vending machine for free. The VendingMiser can reduce your electricity use by as much $100 a year for each machine. The device is attached to the machine with Velcro and therefore can be removed and remounted if the vendor replaces the machine.

For businesses or organizations that call by March 15, Austin Energy guarantees installation no later than March 31. Interested businesses and organizations should call 974-3508 or e-mail aeenergyefficiency@austinenergy.com.

The VendingMiser helps save electricity by utilizing an infrared sensor similar to a motion detector. When it senses no one is around, it shuts down the lights, motor and fan of the soda machine and powers them back up when someone re-enters the area. Tests have shown that the drinks can actually get 1 degree colder because the machine does not produce as much internal heat.

So far, more than 3,300 VendingMisers have been installed at businesses, schools, colleges and government agencies since last year when Austin Energy was awarded two grants from the Texas Public Utility Commission to install the devices for free to reduce electricity use. Those devices are saving about 3.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually or enough electricity to power about 300 homes year-round.

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For more information, contact Ed Clark, Public Information.
Phone: (512) 322-6514
Pager: (512) 802-2000