3 ms·
An espresso machine is essentially a 1-2kW electric boiler, a compressor pump, some valves/actuators, and some PIDs, right? Even if it draws 1.5kW constant for
by quickthrowman 4mo ago
An espresso machine is essentially a 1-2kW electric boiler, a compressor pump, some valves/actuators, and some PIDs, right?
Even if it draws 1.5kW constant for 24h/day that’s only 36kWh. That’s about ~$5 to ~$15 of electricity, depending on how mismanaged your utility is.
It costs less than an hour of labor to power an espresso machine for an entire day, the energy cost to pull a shot is negligible, pennies. The rooftop unit cooling and heating the coffee shop probably uses 2-3x more energy.
- IAmGraydon 4mo agoYou’re missing the real cash cow here: industrial scale production.
- quickthrowman 4mo agoThat’s a very good point, I’d wager that the energy input cost for industrial scale coffee brewing is a larger portion of the overall cost than it is for a shot pulled in a cafe. Reducing input energy by 75% in that case is huge, it’s like switching from resistive heating to a heat pump, any operator would jump at the chance to save that money if the process time is comparable and the ultrasonic brewing equipment plus lower energy costs has a lower amortized cost than the existing plant.