Vending

NAMA urges DOE to postpone amending refrigerated vending machine test procedures

Image provided by iStock.

June 21, 2021

The National Automatic Merchandising Association has urged the U.S. Department of Energy to postpone amending procedures for beverage vending machines due to ongoing business interruptions and economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

In a letter to the DOE, NAMA said its research indicates that as of September 2020, approximately 50,000 jobs (28.74% of the industry) had been lost, and many businesses closed for good. The same research shows that remaining companies are still operating well below previous business levels.

Additionally, the industry is currently partnering in a cooperative research and development agreement through the NAMA Foundation and the Department of Energy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The CRADA — in its second year — is collecting information that will be used to inform how low global warming potential refrigerants will be used to increase energy efficiency and comply with safety standards as states and the nation phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants and the transition to low-GWP A3 refrigerants.

Manufacturers and the engineers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are now focusing on designing machines that protect against inadvertent leak situations and necessary operating functions or components that reduce the concentration of these new refrigerants should a leak arise. This new technology may use a small amount of energy but are necessary for safety.

NAMA claims any test procedure for vending machines should not include the energy use of these new safety measures in the total energy of the product. Thus, the association urges the department to postpone any amendments to test procedures wait until its CRADA with DOE is concluded and accurate information on this technology becomes available.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting convenience services, click here.