6 Benefits of Switching to Bottleless Water Coolers

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the question, “what is a water cooler?” Does your mind immediately go to an image of an upside-down 5-gallon water jug? If so, you’re not alone. That upside-down jug has been an office staple for decades. But did you know there’s an even cooler (pun intended) water dispenser that surpasses its 5-gallon water jug counterpart? Introducing the bottleless water cooler. 

It’s been given a lot of names over the years: point of use water cooler, bottle-free water dispenser, plumbed-in water cooler, water filtration machine. For the sake of this article, however, we’re calling it a bottleless water cooler.  

A bottleless water cooler is filtered immediately at the point of use; hence why it’s often referred to as a point of use water cooler. It’s different from a traditional water delivery service since it filters water on-site rather than at an off-site manufacturing plant. Like traditional water coolers, bottleless dispensers’ primary function is to provide easy access to clean, filtered drinking water, with several bonuses. We’ve listed six in-depth benefits below, but here’s a quick head-to-head comparison of the two workplace hydration solutions:

5-gallon water dispensers vs. bottleless water coolers

1. 5-gallon water coolers vs. safety & convenience

Bottled water coolers

Bottled water coolers require regular replenishing, and changing out 42 pounds of water every few days can be an unpleasant disruption during work. It’s dangerous, too. Sprains and strains from lifting heavy objects like water coolers are among the top five most common workplace injuries.  And if your employees work more physical jobs, like those working in manufacturing plants or distribution centers, it’s likely they are already dealing with a number of safety precautions. 

Beyond the heavy lifting, businesses that use water delivery services put their employees at risk of catching and spreading germs. Delivery service personnel come in and out of offices all day, touching door handles and water jugs your employees will eventually touch. This can result in employees getting sick more frequently and needing to stay home. 

Bottleless water coolers

Since a bottleless water cooler is filtered immediately at the point of use, you never have to think about replenishing your supply. So you’ll skip the headaches, hassles and safety hazards altogether. And with office water dispensers like those from Culligan Quench, you’re automatically scheduled for annual filter changes and preventative maintenance visits.

For enhanced hygiene in the workplace, consider touchless point of use water cooler options. They eliminate the risk of spreading germs from frequent touching of the dispenser tabs.

2. Manual cleaning vs. self-cleaning bottleless water coolers

Bottled water coolers 

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends cleaning coolers with every change of the bottle, or every six weeks, whichever arrives first. Sanitizing a water dispenser is a multi-step process that requires cleaning supplies like bleach and vinegar.  

It is possible to find bottled water coolers designed to be self-cleaning, though those coolers are often bottom-loading and tend to be more expensive.

Bottleless water coolers 

Point of use water coolers have built-in features that do most of the cleaning for you, including ultraviolet (UV) sanitization technology. UV sanitization technology can be used in bottleless water system tanks to inactivate or kill micro-organisms, typically by destroying their DNA or their cell wall membranes. 

 3. Taking space vs. space-saving bottleless water coolers 

Bottled water coolers 

The fact is, having rows upon rows of water jugs isn’t practical in most workplaces. Businesses typically want to make sure that their resources are being used wisely. Floor space and storage areas can be hard to come by in office buildings, and when they’re filled with 5-gallon water jugs it can be frustrating.

Bottleless water coolers 

Unlike bottled water coolers, bottle-free dispensers just need space for the machine itself –nothing else, saving space that can allocated to another part of the business.

Many of our business customers are opting for bottleless water dispensers for just this reason – like a non-profit family fitness center that struggled with storage space. The jugs for their 5-gallon water dispenser were taking up too much of the gym’s valuable real estate. After switching to a Culligan Quench bottleless water system, they not only freed up much-needed space, but they’re now able to offer unlimited filtered water to thirsty gym members looking for high-quality hydration during workouts. Best of all, they’re also saving $3,000 annually just by making this one simple move.

4. Environmental impact: 5-gallon dispensers vs. bottleless water coolers

Bottled water coolers 

While those plastic, non-biodegradable 5-gallon water jugs are recycled and refilled with water after you’re done with them, the demand for them continues their production, and the environment suffers, even with the best water delivery services. In fact, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that 90% of the global greenhouse gas emissions caused by plastics come from the production and conversion of fossil fuels into new plastic products.

Consider also the gas and emissions necessary to deliver water jugs to your workplace. Culligan Quench studies found that the emissions from one water jug delivery service to a business with a headcount of 50 is equivalent to that of a passenger vehicle traveling around 47,000 miles.

Bottleless water coolers 

The more environmentally friendly option is a bottleless water cooler. Unlike a water delivery company that produces, fills, transports, delivers and recycles 5-gallon plastic jugs, a bottle-free water dispenser treats water directly from your water line. That cuts out the plastic containers and office water delivery truck emissions and translates to a 98.73% reduction in your carbon footprint every year, according to Culligan Quench research. Just one bottleless water cooler dispenser can save 7,000 plastic bottles or 150 5-gallon jugs from being thrown away every year.

5. Limited options vs. all-in-one

Bottled water coolers 

Every now and then you’ll come across a water jug dispenser that dispenses both room-temperature water and hot water. It’s an exciting day when you can have both hot tea AND refreshing ambient water all at the same time. However, when it comes to a bottled water cooler, it usually doesn’t get much better than that.

Bottleless water coolers 

If you really want to impress your employees, visitors and guests, get them a water cooler they’ll want to brag about. There is a plethora of point of use bottleless water coolers for offices that offer more than just ambient or cold water. Take the 960-16/965-16 Water Dispenser and Ice Machine from Culligan Quench for instance. It offers ambient and hot water dispensing, as well as chewable nugget ice – all in one machine. For even more water variety, check out options like the Bevi Standup 2.0 Flavored and Sparkling Water Dispenser, which provides cold, hot and ambient options along with sparkling and flavored water. By offering a wide variety of healthy beverage options, you’re able to encourage hydration throughout the day – an important part of workplace wellness.

6. Average cost of bottled water vs. bottleless coolers

Bottled water coolers 

Bottled water delivery is inherently more labor-intensive from start to finish, so it typically costs more. And there are several expenses baked into the average cost of bottled water – from the time required by an office manager to schedule deliveries and manage budgets to the cost of the jugs themselves. According to a Culligan Quench study, a 5-gallon water delivery service that serves 50 people costs over $3,400 a year. 

Bottleless water coolers 

Unlike bottled water delivery, the cost of a bottleless office water dispenser doesn’t change no matter how much water you use. In contrast to the high cost listed above, a company of 50 workers using a bottleless water cooler will wind up spending about 80% less than a company using a jug delivery service. And the more people drinking your water, the more your savings grows. For businesses with large facilities and hundreds of daily users like airports or manufacturers, this savings can be truly significant.

Check out our Cost Comparison Calculator to see the real cost of bottled water delivery vs. a bottleless cooler for your workplace.

It’s time to trade in your bottled water cooler and go bottleless with Culligan Quench 

Count on Culligan Quench to help you make the best hydrating decisions for your office. To help you determine which system is best for your workplace, you can get a free quote from a Culligan Quench Water Expert or explore our Product Finder. 

Questions & answers

What is a bottleless water cooler?

A bottleless water cooler is a water dispenser that filters water directly from your water line. It doesn’t use plastic jugs but instead supplies a virtually unlimited supply of fresher, safer water to your whole workplace – without the hassle and cost of managing deliveries.

How much can a business save switching to bottleless water coolers?

A typical workplace spends about 80% less with a bottleless water cooler than with bottled water delivery – which can equate to thousands of dollars in savings each month.

Is a bottleless water cooler safer than delivered water?

Yes – in two ways. With a bottleless water cooler, you eliminate both the risk of workplace injuries from lifting heavy jugs and the potential spread of germs with touchless technology.