In our sophisticated society, bottled water in all its forms has become increasingly popular as we have been made more aware of the health implications of being properly hydrated. Indeed, there is more shelf space devoted to bottled water in our supermarkets than to any other beverage!
This trend has also extended way beyond our homes with water coolers now being found in our workplaces, our schools, sports facilities, hospitals, public buildings – in fact in every walk of life.
There is also another trend that is being acknowledged by an increasing number of organisations who have had the bottled water systems or indeed organisations who are starting out with water coolers for the first time – the move from Bottled to Plumbed-in. Why? The answer can be summarised in 3 words, “Cost”, “Convenience” and the “Environment”. |
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Cost |
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Bottled: | You have no budgetary control as you have to pay for each bottle of water in addition to a small rental for the machine. You may have to pay extra for sanitising visits as well. |
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Plumbed-in: | You pay a fixed cost for the machine which, with Fresh Opportunities, includes installation, 6 monthly or quarterly sanitising visits, 6 monthly filter changes and full repair back-up. You know how much the exercise is going to cost before you start – no nasty surprises if there is a heat wave! You already have the water supply so why not use it! (See FAQ below). |
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Convenience |
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Bottled: | a) | Storage of full bottles waiting to be used and empty ones awaiting collection. Space is always at a premium and often the placing of bottles can constitute a tripping hazard, or even worse compromise exit routes as defined by the fire service. |
| b) | Moving bottles, whether it is from floor to floor to be close to the coolers or just changing over bottles. These are extremely heavy and can have serious health and safety implications. |
| c) | Always running out just when you need it most, and you’ve just missed your delivery day for the week! |
| d) | Admin. Burden of the constant round of reordering, chasing up deliveries, reconciling deliveries with orders placed and paying invoices. |
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Plumbed-in: |
| Your resources devoted to “managing” your bottled coolers can now be directed to more productive activities. |
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Environment |
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It is now impossible to avoid hearing about, talking about or reading about the need to reduce global warming, protect our environment, reduce our carbon footprint etc. There is a growing concern that whether it be in our homes or at work we should all be taking a look at how we can make a difference for the better. It is now increasingly important to consider the environmental repercussions of our decisions. The choice between having bottled water coolers or plumbed-in machines is a case in point and the difference is dramatic. |
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Bottled: | Just think about this industry for a moment… |
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| a) | The cost to the environment of sustaining bottling/washing plants and warehouse distribution. |
| b) | The cost to the environment of the vehicle fleets needed to constantly deliver and collect bottles from customers. |
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Plumbed-in: | Coolers, as for the bottled industry, have to be manufactured and transported to the end user – but then there is a significant difference. It is connected to a water supply you already have! Yes, you may need a filter to get the taste you want (nothing new here – most bottled waters are filtered as well) but there is none of the vast infrastructure detailed above to support your constant supply of fresh, chilled drinking water. The difference is so obvious that many organisations are now openly questioning the validity of using bottled water on environment grounds when there is such an obviously better alternative available. Central and local government are at the forefront of this. |
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FAQs |
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“This all looks great but……”
Over the years, 3 questions have cropped up again and again. |
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1) “Just how much money can I save”?
It is so simple to find out. Just let us know what your last annual spend was with your current supplier and we can straight away tell you what your saving would be depending on your preferred cooler choice from our range. |
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2) “What about the taste? The tap water in our building is awful!”
The water provided by the Utility companies is the safest option available. The regulations governing the performance of these organisations ensure this. However, sometimes the additives put in our water to make it safe, such as chlorine, are not to everyone’s taste! We use a highly sophisticated filtration system that really does improve the taste to “bottled quality” standard - click Filtration System to find out more - but don’t just take our word for it, ask for a free trial so that you can decide for yourself just what an amazing difference a good filter system can make. |
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3) “What about the pipe work? I want to put the cooler where my bottled one is and the water supply is some distance away. I don’t want lots of disruption”
We use 6mm flexible food grade polyethylene pipe that is non permanent and about as easy to hide as a phone extension lead. We pride ourselves on putting the water cooler as near as possible to where the customer wants, not necessarily what is most convenient for us! We will do a site survey to explain exactly how we will install in detail so you have the opportunity of rejecting our proposal before we start, rather than when we are half way through! We work closely with you so your routines are affected to an absolute minimum. We are particularly skilled at avoiding the disruption of tea breaks etc.!
Plumbed-in or Bottled Water Cooler? – We think we have built a good case for you to talk to us further. |
