Installing a water dispenser in your office may be something you’ve thought about previously but ultimately dismissed. After all, the trusty office kettle has worked just fine for years, right? But what if we told you that kettles aren’t only inefficient and potentially harmful, but they will also cost you more money in the long-run? Have we got your attention? Good!
Today, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about water dispensers and why they are the right choice for your office. We’ll also compare water dispensers with office kettles, so that you can see for yourself why it’s time to ditch the kettle in favour of an office water machine.
So, without further ado, let’s dive straight in.
Office Kettles
Everyone knows how to operate a kettle, and it’s this familiarity that keeps them popular in both homes and office spaces. However, kettles were first designed for domestic use and, as you may have already noticed, the larger the office, the more impractical using a kettle becomes.
For instance, if there are just two or three of you in an office space, then a full kettle can probably give you the two to three cups of tea or coffee you need in one go. However, if you have an office with more than three workers, you’ll know that one kettle cannot provide enough hot water for all those people at the same time. The whole process of filling up the kettle, waiting for it to boil, making drinks and then repeating the whole process takes up lots of time and becomes very tedious very quickly. Not to mention, electric kettles are notoriously inefficient when it comes to energy, costing an average of 2.5p for every boil. That might not sound like a lot at first, but when you consider how many times a kettle is boiled in a typical office per day, this starts to stack up rather quickly.
Of course, electric kettles do have the benefit of being portable, and you can take them to the nearest plug socket at ease. However, kettles were never intended for commercial use and they present some hazards in the workplace, especially if people are taking them to different points around the office.
For example, you always have the risk of burning yourself, or spilling boiling hot water on a colleague. There’s also no way to control the water temperature of a kettle, so the risk of burns is far more probable. Also, something as simple as a small crack can lead to more injuries easily, as well as people filling up the kettle too high and the contents boiling over. This last one happens more than you think, with office workers impatient to make many drinks at the same time and overfilling the kettle without leaving proper headspace at the top of the kettle.
So as you can see, kettles present their fair share of minor inconveniences, a higher overall cost and, sometimes, injuries to staff and guests. But what can be done about these pesky little office kettles? Let us introduce you to the water dispenser.
What is a Water Dispenser?
Chances are, you know what a water dispenser is. And even if you don’t, the clue is in the name! A water dispenser is a unit installed in your office or commercial environment that gives out hot and cold water at your chosen temperature instantly.
Depending on the size, your water dispenser can cater for anywhere from a two-man office up to an entire floor of workers. Your water dispenser is plumbed into the office water supply, which means that you have an endless supply of water at the touch of a button. So that means no more refilling the kettle between boils, and no more long queues of people waiting patiently with their coffee cups in-hand.
But other than cutting waiting time, what other features can you look forward to with a BIBO water dispenser? Let’s take a look
Save time
Unlike a kettle where you will have to wait for it to boil, a water dispenser can immediately be at the right temperature for you to make your tea/coffee. Employees will also no longer require to take a few minutes out of their day to make their tea. The usual unproductiveness of a tea run can be greatly reduced and employees can be back at their desks and getting on with their work.
Select your temperature
One of the best things about water dispensers is that you can set them to the temperature you want with every drink. So if you want a nice, hot cup of tea, then your water dispenser will give you instant boiling water. Or if you want a nice, cool, refreshing glass of ice-cold water, then you can get that in flash, too.
Instant and delicious filtered water
Our water dispensers come installed with a state-of-the-art filter, giving your workforce a far higher quality of water and keeping them hydrated and more proactive throughout their day. Our filtration system uses a carbon-block filter cartridge to remove chlorine from your water, which makes it extra tasty. Plus, the filter picks up and removes many other contaminants, making the water super safe to drink.
Spend less on electricity
Water dispensers are also far more energy efficient, so during the course of a year your overall expenditure on electricity for heating and/or chilling water will go down.This is especially important in the UK at the moment, with energy costs set to soar even further over the coming year.
Our BIBO water dispensers even come with a ‘sleep mode’, to save you even more energy while your workers aren’t using it. This is the one time that ‘sleeping on the job’ will save you money!
Create an ever safer work environment
Finally, water dispensers are extraordinarily safe. With instant hot and cold water at the touch of a button, workers do not need to manually fill the machine themselves, which leads to far less risk of burns or other injuries.
Furthermore, our BIBO water dispensers come in many different sizes, so they’re perfect for any office and don’t take up too much space on the countertop, with all their wires tucked away neatly behind the machine. Not only does this make them great for fitting into small office spaces, but you also reduce the risk of staff tripping over any exposed cables.
Office Kettles vs Instant Hot Water Dispensers
So now that you know all about what a water dispenser can do, it’s time to take a look at how an instant hot water dispenser fares against the humble office kettle.
First of all, we’ll admit that electric kettles are far cheaper to purchase than water dispensers. And it means that you can install hot water equipment into your office without breaking the bank. However, as we’ve seen, with a kettle using far more electricity to boil every time, the overall costs start to go up in comparison to an energy-efficient water dispenser. Therefore, while you may save yourself a few quid in the beginning, a water dispenser will serve you far better in the long-run.
Secondly, electric kettles are super lightweight and very portable, which means you can move them to any place in the office that you wish. Not to mention, you can install more than one, if needed. However, as we’ve detailed, electric kettles pose various hazards in the workplace. These include risk of burns and other injuries, as well as the cables presenting trip hazards if placed in areas where workers may walk around. But with a water dispenser, you can install it in your chosen space, with no wires hanging around and no chance of workers over-filling the machine and burning themselves on hot water.
Thirdly, as the saying goes, a watched pot never boils. How many times have you found yourself staring at the kettle as it hisses away, tapping your foot while you wait for it to boil? With an instant hot water dispenser, you can have the perfect cup of tea or coffee at the touch of a button; no more waiting around for that watched pot to boil!
Finally, contrary to popular belief, water dispensers do not take up a load of space in your office. In fact, our water dispensers take up as little as 30cm of work surface so, although not quite as small as a kettle, these are certainly not the big cumbersome items that people often imagine when they think of water dispensers.
Benefits of Water Dispensers
When it comes to water dispensers, there are some benefits which are obvious and others that you’ll only notice over time.
Instant benefits to installing a BIBO water dispenser include the delivery of hot and cold water on demand. No more queues of workers lining up with their cups. Another great perk that will delight your workers from day one is that you can choose both your cup size and temperature of the water. From delicious hot cups of tea and coffee, to refreshing ice-cold water, your workforce has access to clean, filtered water at a moment’s notice.
Another perk is that our BIBO water dispensers are beautiful, modern and compact. In fact, we’d venture to say that they are far prettier to look at than the average kettle!
Benefits that you’ll notice after you’ve had a BIBO water dispenser in your office for a while include lower electric bills. With the rising cost in energy affecting both homes and office spaces, an energy-efficient water dispenser can provide delicious, safe and healthy water at a fraction of the cost of running a kettle on a daily basis. In fact, our customers on average save up to 25% on their energy bills in a year!
Also, you’ll notice far less minor injuries and potential burns in the office, as well as a reduction in trip hazards caused by running wires from kettles. And because workers do not need to manually fill the machine themselves, the overall risk of injuries in the office space reduces considerably.
As we’ve seen today, kettles are a great addition to your home, but they are far less suitable for an office environment.
Aside from the running costs and inconvenience for workers waiting around for the kettle to boil, office kettles also increase the risk of burns and other injuries to staff and visitors.
With so many perks and benefits to installing a BIBO water dispenser, we think it’s high time that you ditch the kettle in favour of one of our cutting-edge sleek water dispensing units!
For help selecting your new water dispenser, as well as answers to our most frequently asked questions about installation and maintenance, check out our FAQ page, call us or fill out our online webform.
