ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) today released the following statement from Mike Goscinski, senior director, external affairs on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of the ENERGY STAR Version 3.0 Water Cooler Final Specification:

“The updated standards will allow for a broader range of equipment to be certified with the ENERGY STAR seal. We’re pleased to see the final specification expand access to equipment dispensing sparkling, alkaline or flavored water – increasing the use of certified equipment in micro markets and office breakrooms.

The convenience services industry is a leader in driving sustainable solutions for energy consumption. NAMA has been engaged with ENERGY STAR since the proposed specification was drafted, providing feedback from operators, manufacturers and aligned industries leading to the finalization. EPA and representatives of the program attended NAMA’s Coffee Tea & Water Show in November 2019 to meet with water cooler manufacturers and solicit feedback for the specification.

We appreciate the positive working relationship we have developed with ENERGY STAR and the EPA over the years and look forward to a continued partnership.”

The updated standards create new definitions and categories for water coolers and energy consumption based on factors such as location traffic volume. The new version 3.0 specification and supporting documents can be viewed here. Certification under version 3.0 is allowed to begin immediately and version 2.0 will be phased out for new certifications in October 2021.

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