From the traditional bottled water cooler to the mains-fed point of use dispenser, choosing how to supply drinking water to the office involves weighing some important issues — the decision on which option to pursue may even rest on a business’s CSR policy.
The options
There are five options for the provision of water in the office environment. First, and perhaps most conveniently, from the tap. Although simple and accessible, if the point of supplying drinking water is to provide hydration for staff (something that aids concentration, productivity and health, which are all important factors for any business), then this is the least attractive option. Water from the tap is not chilled and often could have chlorine or other taste taint. As a result, you will miss an opportunity to encourage your staff to drink enough water.
The second option is to use small packs of bottled water. However, this is an expensive option: bottles have to be ordered and collected, or delivered. It also involves excessive packaging, making it an environmentally unfriendly option. Also, if the water is to be provided chilled, facilities managers will need to supply refrigeration, which implies its own environmental cost.
BOTTLED WATER VERSUS
POINT OF USE
Mike Hurst from Watermark Consultancy is the consultant microbiologist to the European Drinking Watercooler Association. He works with both mains-fed, point of use coolers and bottled water coolers. Here he gives us his own opinions on the relative positives and negatives of bottled water coolers and point of use water coolers in the office environment:
Bottled water coolers
Positives:
- Bottled water is a healthy cachet
- Tastes good — palatable water encourages hydration
- Coolers can be sited anywhere near a power point
- Active recycling takes place within the industry. Empty bottles are collected, cleaned and refilled. At the end of their life (10-50 cycles), the bottles are recycled. Polycarbonate fetches a good price, which promotes recycling and discourages dumping
- Coolers proofed against airborne contamination when water is drawn off
- Bottling plants are third party audited if they are owned by members of the EDWCA or BWCA
Negatives:
- The bottles of water are less cost effective than potable mains water
- Coolers need to be sanitised every three months
- Bottle weight — lifting and loading. The standard bottle weighs around 20kg which is at the limit of lifting guidelines
- Storage of full and empty bottles take up lots of room
- CO2-creating deliveries are required
- Bottles washed and refilled can be subject to spoilage, such as odour or greening
- Bottled water can run out especially in periods of warm weather when demand is high
- Care is needed when loading bottles to avoid contamination entering the bottle
- Bottles have a three-week shelf-life on cooler
- Bottle washing (at 60C) uses energy
- Concerns have been raised about BPA in the polycarbonate used to make bottles
Point of use coolers
Positives:
- Good-tasting water
- Filters can protect against occasional water contamination issues caused by parasites
- Can deal with lead pipes
- Mains water is cheaper
- Point of use systems only need six-monthly servicing visits
- Usually, they are cheaper to service than bottled coolers
- Water already on site so little energy impact other than running cooler
Negatives:
- Must be connected to good potable water in building
- Installation requires a survey first
- Cooler can only be sited where water availability in the building allows
- Requires professional installation
- May require new plumbing to feed water to desired cooler location
The third option is bottled water coolers: 19 litres of water supplied in a polycarbonate container. Water coolers have the advantage of delivering chilled water of an excellent potable quality. But once more, the environmental impact of bottling and transportation makes this option less palatable.There is also the additional cost of ordering bottles, storing them and accounting for the empties.
The fourth option is ‘bag in box’ water, whereby water is delivered in boxed bags and chilled with specially designed dispensers. This can prove cheaper than bottled water, depending upon level of usage and is more environmentally friendly due to the fact that the units are used once, with no need to collect or retain bottles and account for empties.
The final option is mains-fed or point of use, which uses coolers to chill and filter the potable water already available. If installed and maintained by a trained and competent supplier, they provide high quality drinking water with the lowest environmental impact and the simplest solution to manage, as well as generally being the least costly.
Environmental impact
“Water cooler companies have invested heavily in the product development of the point of use machines,” explains Fred Cairns Palmer, managing director of WaterCoolersDirect. “Advancements in cooler technology mean that there are point of use coolers on the market that dispense sparkling water, chilled, ambient and hot water.”
Palmer clearly believes that this type of investment is indicative of a positive move away from bottled water. The bottled water sector has been criticised due to the environmental strain it causes. “Not only is the production of the plastic bottles harmful to the environment, their disposal at landfill and the huge number of miles driven for water deliveries means that the bottled cooler is quickly becoming a bad environmental choice,” says Palmer.
Price will always be a major factor for specifiers and since point of use dispensers plumb directly into a building’s mains water supply, customers save a substantial amount of money on both the cost of the water, and also by not having to pay for deliveries.
Health and safety
Water is food and, as a result, has to be treated hygienically. Good quality installation and regular maintenance is essential and should not be underestimated. James Anderton, chairman of the European Drinking Water Cooler Association (EDWCA), says: “The EDWCA audits its members regularly for sanitation practise — every three months for bottled coolers and six months for point of use coolers. It also encourages regular six-monthly point of use filter exchange and good installation practice,” explains Anderton. “It’s a mistake to save money by buying water coolers and then ‘forget’ about sanitising and filter exchange,” he adds.
Water bottles need to be changed regularly and this can represent a health and safety issue. The other issue is that of storage. “Bottles are usually heavy and bulky to lift and carry, creating the risk of back injury,” explains Catherine Morgan, marketing manager of PHS Waterlogic.
“As for storage, it’s important, for example, to position bottles so that they don’t block walkways and are not in danger of tipping or falling on staff and visitors walking past,” she adds. “We suggest that storing bottles behind closed doors is the best option.”
More seriously, she explains, there has been discussion in the press of a possible link between consuming water stored in plastic bottles made with a compound called Bisphenol A (BPA) and illness, including breast cancer — especially if the plastic is warmed by sunlight.
“In watercooler bottles, the quantity of BPA leaching out into the water is likely to be minimal and suitable positioning of water coolers away from windows and regular servicing will minimise any risk involved,” explains Morgan. “Buyers may prefer to steer clear of it altogether and go for mains-fed. Mains-fed drinking water dispensers obviously don’t use bottles and so none of these health and safety issues apply,” she says.
Corporate social responsibility
Many companies regard reducing their carbon footprint as an essential part of CSR policy.
As mains-fed drinking water is generally considered more environmentally sustainable than bottled water, then this can influence the choice of drinking water provision. Choosing a mains-fed watercooler over a bottled water cooler can reduce a company’s carbon footprint and therefore help towards fulfilment of a wider CSR policy.
In conclusion, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing a suitable method of drinking water supply. Yet based on the current available technology and delivery systems, mains-fed point of use water appears to offer the best combination of safety, value and sustainability.
WaterCoolersDirect offers an online calculator which, it claims, works out what a business might save by switching to plumbed in water. While it clearly has a vested interest in the plumbed in option, the figures it generates may be worth considering. (An office of 20 people using two bottled water coolers could save around £1,800 over three years and take 624 bottles off the road, it suggests.)
