Start Vending Now The One Stop, Vending Information Shop

It Might Be Wiser With a Vending Miser: Energy Sustainability

Vending Miser - Photo Courtesy of http://sustainability.tufts.edu

An energy efficient technology that is available for vending machines is the vending miser. A miser is essentially a device that adds energy sustainability to a vending machine. It comes with an occupancy sensor, a controller, weatherproofing, sensor cable and mounting equipment. A vending miser controls the amount of compressor cycles, and energy use of the vending machine; by the usage pattern of the particular vending machine, which is what the sensors are for.

The light sensor, which is called an outdoor occupancy sensor, will sense if there are people near the machine, and then turn on the lights and other equipment in the machine that needs to be turned on. You may have seen this technology already in your favorite grocery store freezer section, when you approach an area of the freezer section the lights will turn on, and then off when you leave; this technology is similar. The occupancy sensor works off infrared light, which can detect changes in body heat of coming and going vending customers.

The controller portion of the vending miser will adequately monitor the compressor cycles of the vending machine, and provide energy efficiency when the compressor is not needed as much. Overall, the vending miser is a sort of “energy on demand” feature for a vending machine, depending on the general population that actually uses the machine, with the vending miser equipped.

There is a general inclination in the vending machine industry to dismiss the efficiency of the vending machine miser, because many could believe that a vending miser can potentially lower sales, by raising the temperature of the products instead. As well, if the vending miser is switched off, customers could be lead to believe that the vending machine is not operable, and if the controller switches certain parts off at times, the effectiveness of a credit card reader could be in question.

What are the energy savings one could expect from using a vending miser? Depending on the usage of a particular machine, estimated annual cost savings from energy efficiency could range from 20% to 60%, with an average of around 40%. If the vending machine is a highly trafficked location, then expect energy savings to be near the lower end of the spectrum, because the vending machine will be turned on much more frequently.

Does a vending miser affect the internal temperate of a vending machine? In short, it does, but not to any conceivable worrying extent. With a vending miser installed, you could potentially expect the cooling portion of your vending machine to increase 3 degrees, for example from 42 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this can vary. The internal temperatures of the vending machine could be affected by one degree, again not much of an issue at all.

Does having a vending miser affect the sales at my machine? The research is out on this one, but one constant is known. The basic factor in determining sales at your machine is the location itself; the weather and population will have the most affect on sales. There has been no solid research that indicates a vending miser affects sales at a vending machine; overall, it is inconclusive.