9 Ways Bottleless Water Coolers Can Save Your Business Money

Cost-saving ideas for the workplace are not always easy to come by. However, when it comes to your workplace drinking water, the most economical solution is straightforward: Bottleless water coolers are the way to go. Businesses that replace 5-gallon water jug dispensers with bottleless water coolers save up to 80% on drinking water expenses!

How? Well, bottleless water coolers connect directly to a building’s existing water line and filter water on-site. That ability to source water right from your building eliminates many of the extra expenses associated with traditional water delivery services.

If you’re interested in maximizing your budget, read on. A bottleless water cooler serves as a simple yet effective cost saving idea for your workplace.

Bottleless water coolers…

1. Eliminate the cost of bottles and jugs.

Plastic and water can be surprisingly expensive. Consumers typically spend around $1.29 for single-use bottles and $7[1] for 5-gallon water jugs. Only about $0.0001 covers the cost of the actual water inside the containers.[2] The rest of the price is based on the production, packaging, sales and market, distribution, and retailer markup. With bottleless water coolers, you only pay for your unit. For less than two dollars a day, a bottleless water cooler provides an endless supply of highly filtered, great-tasting H₂O.

2. Eliminate delivery service fees.

Those bottles and jugs aren’t going to replenish themselves. Companies that rely on 5-gallon water jug dispensers often pay a weekly fee to get their water shipped. Ditching the jugs means never having to pay extra for delivery and transportation.

3. Limit spending on water and electricity.

Although bottleless water coolers connect to your building’s electrical grid and water lines, they will not cost you more than bottled water jugs. For one, municipal water is typically only 20 gallons per penny. It’s by far your least expensive utility. Adding filtered coolers usually will not change your water bill by more than 25 cents TOTAL per month or less than $3.00 for the entire year! Furthermore, the electrical usage is equivalent to the energy usage of bottled water coolers, which is approximately $3.50/month.

4. Reduce long-term expenses.

Water delivery services charge by the bottle and by the delivery. With a bottleless water cooler, you pay the same flat rate every month. That low monthly rate covers the cost of preventive maintenance, repairs, and replacements. When preventive maintenance is required, you don’t have to worry about paying extra on machine repairs. Some bottleless water cooler companies will even replace old or broken coolers at no additional cost. Or, if your business needs change, you can upgrade easily without the hassle of having to buy a new unit and get rid of your old one.

5. Reduce the risk of worker’s comp.

Asking workers to deadlift 43-pound jugs every time the coolers run dry creates a liability for workplaces. Those heavy containers can fall on someone’s foot or even strain an employee’s back. When you remove heavy jugs from the workplace, you reduce your chances of getting hit with compensation claims.

6. Save money on space.

You create more usable space in your warehouses when you trade in their 5-gallon water jug dispensers for bottleless water coolers. Storing bulky jugs can take up a lot of valuable real estate. That’s space you could use to increase productivity and maximize your returns.

7. Streamline utility contracts.

Often, one bottleless water cooler just isn’t enough. Businesses with hundreds or even thousands of employees across multiple locations need multiple high-capacity water coolers to keep everyone hydrated. Customers who sign multiple units under one contract may see additional savings. Signing all your bottleless water coolers under one contract often means you pay less per machine and less for installation fees. One contract also means you save time collecting invoices. Instead of reconciling invoices across facilities and vendors, you get one invoice for all your machines in all your locations.

8. Improve employee productivity

Companies that use water delivery services rely on employees to replenish jugs, order new jugs, organize water delivery, etc. Bottleless water coolers free up time for employees to focus on more productive, revenue-generating tasks.

9. Demonstrate your commitment to the environment

According to data collected by Quench USA, companies that replace 5-gallon water jug dispensers with rented bottleless water coolers…

Keep 7,000 plastic bottles out of the environment every year.
Are responsible 53 percent fewer tons of CO₂emissions than jug delivery rentals and 95 fewer tons of CO₂ than bottle water delivery services (for a workplace of 50 daily users).

Those environmental benefits can work in your favor. Studies show that 70 percent of North Americans think it’s important that a brand is sustainable or eco-friendly.[3] So, although adding bottleless water coolers to your workplace might seem like a minor business expense, it can actually boost your brand credibility and overall customer trust.

How Much You Could Save

You already know bottleless water coolers can save you money, but exactly how much money are we talking? It depends on the size of your business.

For instance, one fan manufacturer with over 450 employees said bottleless water coolers save the business up to $1,000 per month.

“Before switching to bottleless water coolers, we were going through 40-50 bottles a week in some buildings,” said Nick Williams, Special Projects Manager, Big Ass Fans Company. “Now we’ve got a constant flow of water we don’t have to worry about.”

Another company reported savings of up to $3,000 per year.

“I switched over to bottleless water coolers over two years ago,” said a Site Manager with Johnson Controls. “It has helped me save over $3,000 per year in the cost of clean water in our plant.”

If you are curious how much your business could save by switching to bottleless water coolers, check out the cost comparison calculator by Quench USA below.