The Hidden Energy Costs of School Beverage Vending Machines

PHAI has produced a FACT SHEET detailing state-by-state electricity costs of traditional cold beverage vending machines. A traditional cold beverage vending machine consumes an estimated 3000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year (kWh/yr). That translates to an average annual energy cost of $313 per machine. Even more energy efficient machines still use between 1200 and 1500 kWh/yr. When multiplied over the total number of machines housed on school property, the electricity cost required to operate cold beverage vending machines amounts to a significant hidden expense for schools that should be subtracted from school beverage vending revenue and taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to renew a beverage vending contract.

 

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About Cara Wilking

Ms. Wilking provides legal technical assistance to public health officials and public health researchers working to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and to increase access to drinking water. She also conducts research into the role of state consumer protection laws to limit unfair, deceptive and misleading food marketing aimed at children. Ms. Wilking was a Northeastern University School of Law Public Interest Law Scholar.