Bowdoin College
OP-T2-16: Vending Machine Sensors

Bowdoin installed VendingMisers on all campus vending machines between 2002 and 2004. The device monitors room temperature and compressor current, powering vending machines only as needed to maintain product temperature. It also powers down when the room is unoccupied; when the unit is approached by a user, the machine lights turn back on. The device has been installed on all vending machines - reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 41,800 lbs. of CO2 each year. To accommodate the student "One Card" swipe system, during the winter break of 2010-11 Bowdoin upgraded all vending machines with either energy star machines or machines with the Elstat energy monitoring system, while at the same time eliminating many underutilized vending machines on campus. Ten of the 14 machines remaining on campus are Energy Star rated, utilizing more efficient compressors, fan motors, and lighting systems to keep beverages just as cold and the machine visible while using less energy. The remaining 4 machines utilize the Elstat energy management system, which learns the patterns of the environment in which the machine operates, ensuring optimum operating temperatures are maintained exactly when required and not a minute more.