November 7, 2003—Austin Energy, of Austin, Texas, is accelerating its “Smart Vendor” program to equip the city’s twelve thousand vending machines with the energy-saving VendingMiser, produced by Pennsylvania-based USA Technologies. It hopes to have the project completed in two to three years. The total cost of the program, when completed, is expected to reach nearly $2 million.
Austin Energy officials said the decision to accelerate the energy conservation program was largely driven by the huge success of VendingMiser in reducing the cost of running the city’s vending machines, as well as lowering environmentally damaging greenhouse gasses and reducing strain on the power grid. Austin Energy has seen an immediate reduction in energy costs of up to 42 percent.
There are more than twenty power companies in the United States that have assessed the value of USA Technologies’ energy management technology and are offering rebates upwards of $125 per unit, as well as discounts to customers who purchase the VendingMisers. For instance, Clark County in Nevada recently mandated that all school vending machines be equipped with VendingMiser as part of a new energy saving policy. The Nevada Power Company is helping offset the cost of installations in the Las Vegas schools by offering a $100 per unit rebate for the first seven hundred vending machines that are equipped.
For more information about VendingMiser technology, contact USA Technologies at 800/633-0340.
