Water can represent quite a burden – literally in terms of lugging around water crates and dealing with all the empties, not to mention the considerable costs involved. If you're looking for a solution for your office, medical practice, or store, you may find that a water dispenser is the right choice. We take a look here at the various types of water dispensers.

For the sake of completeness, it's worth mentioning that the German Environment Agency has stated that, with few exceptions, fresh drinking water from the faucet in Germany is safe to drink because of its excellent quality. This holds for the large centralized systems and (in practically all cases) smaller water supply facilities. 

The only constraint is that drinking water that has "stagnated" (stood) in the pipeline for more than four hours should not be used for drinking or in the preparation of food and beverages. You can do a "finger test" here by letting stagnated water flow: fresh water is noticeably cooler than stagnated water. 

Now on to water dispensers.

The name says it all: water dispensers with a mains water connection (mains-fed dispensers) are plumbed directly into the mains water supply. These are available as column- or floor-mounted or tabletop/countertop models. There's a unit to suit any point of use and any available space. All that's needed for installation are water and power connections.Even chilled water can then be dispensed directly from such machines.

Although the acquisition costs are relatively high, the running costs are unbeatably low. Accordingly, water dispensers with a mains water connection are especially suitable when you wish to supply fresh water for many people.

Bottled water dispensers consist of a column-shaped body with a spigot on which a water tank (bottle) can be placed. Once the bottle is empty, it's replaced with a new one. The benefit of this version is that the water dispenser can be placed anywhere as it does not need a mains water connection. This means you can put the unit exactly where it's needed, such as in a waiting room, on the sales floor of your store, or in a corridor. The disadvantage compared to mains-fed water dispensers is that you have to continue purchasing the drinking water. This results in higher running costs.

Drinking fountains are still quite rare in Germany. They are designed so that the water jets upwards in a small arc when a button is pressed. The benefit is that no cups or drinking bottles are needed. Instead, you can drink directly from the water stream. You'll have seen these in outdoor areas, at parks and sports facilities, and in schools. Like mains-fed water dispensers, they are plumbed directly into the mains water connection. 

There are now also combined systems that provide chilled and filtered still or sparkling water directly from the faucet, for example in a kitchenette. There are even versions of these that offer flavored or boiling water on tap. This innovative choice is also especially space saving. 

Whether you're interested in a water dispenser for an office, store, medical practice, or other facility, cost is obviously an important factor. For simple models, the purchase price is between around EUR 300 and 1500, depending on the type of water dispenser. In addition to the acquisition costs, the consumption costs differ considerably between mains-fed and bottled water dispensers.

You can expect to pay 0.2 cents per liter for mains-fed water dispensers and 40 cents per liter for the bottled versions. There's no major difference in maintenance costs, however, which will amount to around EUR 100 to 200 per year regardless of the model.

More and more companies are providing water dispensers in order to give employees, customers, patients, or students access to fresh drinking water. And that's not surprising, given the fantastic benefits of using a drinking water dispenser:

Cost savings
Water dispensers are usually much cheaper than personal-sized bottled water: in offices, for example, you can achieve annual savings of up to EUR 100 per employee by making the switch. You also say goodbye to delivery and disposal costs – as well as your days of lugging crates around, of course.

Sustainability
Water dispensers are unequivocally an environmentally friendly alternative to water in personal-sized glass or plastic bottles. In particular, mains-fed water dispensers score highly on sustainability.

Convenience
As mentioned, regardless of whether you choose a mains-fed or bottled water dispenser, you can say goodbye to your days of constantly lugging crates around. You won't need any storage space either (for mains-fed models) or at least less of it (for bottled versions).

Health
There's no doubt that water is good for us. It boosts our concentration, stimulates our digestive system, and refreshes us. Water dispensers promote healthy habits as employees or customers enjoy quick and convenient access to fresh water and are therefore encouraged to maintain their fluid intake.

If you'd like to cut costs even further and use water more sustainably, then this is bound to interest you as well: with advanced and easy-to-install aerators for your washbasin faucets in your office bathrooms and kitchenettes, you can save water and lower costs without restricting the quality of hand washing or water boiling. 

On top of that, you save energy when you conserve water. After all, domestic hot water has to be heated using electricity, for example. When you save on water you therefore also save on electricity or gas, depending on the energy source. This is a step worth taking now particularly, with energy prices on the rise. You can use our water saving calculator to find out how much water and money you can save with an advanced flow regulator. 

Water dispensers are an excellent, sustainable, and cost-saving alternative for providing fresh drinking water to employees or customers in offices and stores. Consider which type of water dispenser would suit you best, as everyone's circumstances differ. In any case, when you install water dispensers you can say goodbye to lugging crates around and offer your employees an attractive service that is also good for their health.