Bottleless Water Cooler Dispenser vs. Single-Use Bottled Water

Sometimes, a water dispenser is more than just a water dispenser. That’s unquestionably true when it comes to your office water cooler. The water cooler is a place to help stay healthfully hydrated throughout the workday, give tired eyes a break from computer screens and foster connections with co-workers.

But offices have changed from 30 years ago, and office hydration options have, too. Today,  a bottleless water cooler dispenser just might be the flexible, environmentally friendlier solution to meet your office’s drinking-water needs. Let’s take a look at what bottleless water cooler dispensers can mean for workplace hydration.

Why Single-Use Bottled Water Isn’t Your Best Option

If you don’t already have a bottleless water cooler dispenser and don’t want to use your office’s tap water, there are two common choices for a water source: single-use plastic bottles or a bottled-water delivery service. However, compared to bottleless coolers, there are some down sides:

• Inconvenience: Single-use water bottles might seem convenient, but you still have to store them, carry them around with you at work and get new ones throughout the day. Similarly, a water bottle delivery service must be scheduled and managed.
• Safety: With a bottled water delivery service, it can be staff’s responsibility to carry and reload full water jugs from one place to another. That can create unnecessary injury risks, especially if the same individuals aren’t lugging, loading and unloading bottles every time. Single-serve plastic bottles aren’t a much better option, because they often come in heavy, unwieldy 12- or 24-packs.

• Environmental impact: Plastic pollution — especially from single-use water bottles — is a big problem: Americans use an average of 13 plastic water bottles per person per month, and less than one-third of plastic bottles get recycled. Beyond using up landfill space and taking more than 400 years to decompose, single-use plastic bottles also increase carbon dioxide emissions when they’re manufactured and transported.

The good news is that with a bottleless water cooler dispenser, you can avoid these hazards to workers and the environment.

What to Know About a Bottleless Water Cooler Dispenser

A bottleless water cooler goes beyond a traditional office water dispenser by delivering unparalleled flexibility in meeting your office’s–and your workers’–drinking-water needs. Here’s what to know about this new take on a water dispenser:

How Do Bottleless Water Coolers Work?

Instead of relying on a bottle to store and provide your drinking water, a bottleless water cooler connects directly to the water line in your workplace. That means you’ll have a continuous supply of water whenever you need it.

Who Installs a Bottleless Water Cooler Dispenser?

Unlike bottled water delivery, a bottleless water cooler doesn’t require you to lug anything around – there is just a one-time installation and setup that can be handled by your local water expert. Some companies will even handle maintenance for you as part of a fixed monthly cost, which means you can focus on your workday.

Can You Get All of Your Water From a Bottleless Cooler?

Absolutely. Need cold water on a hot summer day? A bottleless water cooler can do that. Looking for hot water to make the morning’s coffee? Your bottleless water cooler dispenser can do that, too.

No matter what your drinking water needs look like at work, these bottleless water coolers can meet them. In fact, some can even dispense room temperature water for those who aren’t a fan of gulping cold water.

Do Bottleless Water Coolers Filter Water?

Culligan bottleless water coolers can offer up to five stages of filtration within one unit. These include:

• Sediment filtration
• Carbon filtration
• Reverse osmosis
• Mineral enhancement
• Drinking water polishing

Is a Bottleless Water Cooler Eco-Friendly?

When you get rid of single-use bottled water, you get all the benefits of going bottleless. That means reducing your carbon footprint associated with plastic use. 

In addition, some bottleless water dispensers — such as Culligan’s Ascent™ 100 Bottleless Water Cooler — have an ECO-mode. This smart setting allows your bottleless cooler to learn your use patterns and go into power-saving mode at appropriate times to save energy. This model also includes a digital display that shows the number of plastic bottles saved through its use.

Comparing Your Office Water Options

Now that you know more about your water cooler options, let’s consider how to choose the best one for your workplace.

It’s important to ask:

• “Is our current bottled water cooler doing its job?” If you haven’t revisited your office hydration situation in 5 or 10 years, chances are high that whatever you’re currently using leaves something to be desired, as more advanced options in terms of filtration and dispensing are now available.
• “Are we ready to cut down on plastic bottle waste?” Worldwide, workers increasingly are expressing a preference for working for environmentally conscious companies. If you’re looking for a way to cut down on your environmental footprint, a bottleless cooler is the way to go.

• “Do we want to carry our own water jug?” Tired of lifting that heavy bottle? When you go bottleless, you can enjoy a filtered water supply without hassle.

• “Are we looking for smart ways to save money?” Buying large amounts of single-use plastic bottles can be expensive. A bottleless water cooler dispenser, on the other hand, offers a fixed monthly cost (look for a provider whose cost includes maintenance and customer service).

• “Are we ready to improve efficiency in our office?” Water deliveries, bottle storage, manual cooler maintenance — these can interrupt your focus and make workflows less efficient. A bottleless water dispenser can eliminate these issues for the long haul. In addition, some models have dispensing rates as high as 4 liters of cold water and 2 liters of hot water per minute, meaning workers can quickly get the water they need when they need it for their reusable bottles and mugs–no more wimpy or slow pours.

• “How clean is our water solution?” When it comes to cleanliness, it’s not all about the water–it’s also about the system itself. For example, Culligan bottleless coolers come with touchless activation features or antimicrobial spigots, so drinking water can be dispensed without having to clean the machine after every use.

Find Your New Favorite Water Solution

You might not think about it much, but hydration can absolutely factor into your office’s success. A reliable, efficient water solution means having hot water for tea or cold water for a refreshing break — both things that will help keep workers employees happy, focused and productive.

That’s why it’s important to make a carefully considered choice when it comes to the office water cooler. If you’re ready to say goodbye to plastic and the hassle and hazards of traditional water jugs or single-use bottles, then it’s time to check out the next-level flexibility and efficiency that a bottleless water cooler dispenser can offer. 

Contact your local Culligan water expert today for help choosing the model that best fits your business.