Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 75.93
Liaison Merry Rankin
Submission Date Aug. 30, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Iowa State University
OP-T2-16: Vending Machine Sensors

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.25 Robert Parrish
Assistant Manager
Campus Dining Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution installed vending machine motion sensors for at least one vending machine?:
Yes

A brief description of the technology used:
198 vending machines on campus are equipped with a Vending Miser -- a device that automatically shuts off the majority of the machines' LED lights after a period of inactivity. When a customer pushes a product selection button, the lights come back on. The refrigeration units also run less frequently when a machine is inactive. Last year this saved about $80 per machine, for a total energy savings of $13,400. The Vending Miser contains a motion sensor, which sits on top of the machine and monitors movement. The ISU Council on Sustainability piloted the Vending Miser, and after conducting a one-week test the group determined an approximate payback period of 16 months. As a result, all beverage vending machines on campus have these sensors, and all snack machines will as well.

The percentage of vending machines with sensors:
100

The website URL where information about the institution's use of the technology is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/article_e5a1c3b8-0312-11e0-a164-001cc4c002e0.html The percentage of vending machines with sensors is provided for Iowa State's 127 beverage machines. Although not yet installed, all snack machines will also have sensors by May 2013. Cold food as well as ice cream vending machines do not currently have sensors, and were excluded from the total used to calculate the percentage provided.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.