Minnesota Public Radio - CERTs is organizing a group buy of a device that reduces electricity use in vending machines

Release Date: 04/11/2010

Minnesota Public Radio: Story by Stephanie Hemphill

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Summary: This clip was on the 8:00am news briefs on Sunday, April 11, 2010. Click on the play button above to listen to the clip. A transcript is below.

Toni Randolph: CERTs “is organizing a group buy of a device that reduces electricity use in vending machines. Stephanie Hemphill reports.”

Stephanie Hemphill: “The Clean Energy Resource Teams, or CERTs, want to put together orders for 200 so-called VendingMisers by May 1st. CERTs Coordinator Joel Haskard says the device is a motion sensor that turns off the vending machine’s compressor and lights when no one is standing near it.”

Joel Haskard: “If these are older machines and they’re stuck somewhere where nobody’s walking in front of them very much, you can get savings of up to 46%.”

Stephanie Hemphill: More information is available at the Clean Energy Resource Team’s website at www.CleanEnergyResourceTeams.org.

The Clean Energy Resource Teams are a joint program of the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, the Southwest Regional Development Commission, the Minnesota Project, Minnesota Department of Commerce, and the Green Institute. The CERTs program brings together team members from diverse backgrounds including farmers, utility representatives, state and federal government staff, educators and academics, small business owners, members of non-profit and environmental groups as well as individuals interested in energy issues. Together they work to identify and implement community-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across the state. Major funding is provided by Minnesota Department of Commerce, The Blandin Foundation, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, University of Minnesota Institute for Renewable Energy and the Environment, University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, and U.S. Department of Energy.