Today we've saved plastic bottles from landfill

Latest Articles

Bringing back the watercooler chat

Read more

What Are the Benefits of a Water Dispenser?

Read more

Plastic Free July encourages us all to reduce plastic waste

Read more

World Oceans Day 2023

Read more

World Environment Day 2023

Read more

Five hidden costs of a bottled water cooler

Five hidden costs of a bottled water cooler
Logo

When it comes to choosing a water cooler for your business, it’s not always clear which system will best suit your office. You may prefer a bottled supply over a plumbed-in water dispenser, but there are hidden costs that can make this option less appealing. Be it in the hours spent arranging and supervising deliveries, the security risk of strangers roaming your office, variable usage meaning hard-to-predict monthly costs, limited storage space for bottles, even the threat of absenteeism or insurance claims through water bottle-related injury.

 

Visible costs versus hidden costs

If you rent or purchase a bottled water cooler, there are visible costs, which include the dispenser, water supply and delivery charges. However, depending on the system you choose, there could also be invisible costs that are harder to recognize. Whether it’s the time lost to manage deliveries, the space used to stock bottles or the extra expense in paying for bottled water, the hidden costs can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line and can outweigh the benefits of installing the water cooler.

Five hidden costs of a bottled water cooler

1) The expense of arranging and supervising deliveries

When you have a bottled water cooler, you need a staff member to manage your water supply. They must monitor how many bottles you have left, then guesstimate how many to order for the next delivery. More time is wasted coordinating the order, reconciling invoices, sorting any mistakes and endless back-and-forth.

At the average hourly rate for an office manager, this task alone could cost $75-a-week; that’s nearly $4,000 per year. Alternatively, you could choose a plumbed-in supply and free those hours for more valuable work.

Your employees will drink a different amount depending on the season, making it difficult to forecast how much your business will spend on water, incurring unexpected costs. A plumbed-in cooler offers a limitless supply of freshly-filtered water at a fixed cost, no matter how much you drink. It can save your business from 30% – 70%.

Better still, Waterlogic offers fixed monthly rental with planned maintenance included, so you never see a seasonal spike in your expenses.

2) The cost of the security risk

Every business has sensitive information and would rather keep doors closed to unknown visitors. A bottled water cooler means you must open your doors for deliveries, putting your business and employees at the unnecessary risk of having a stranger in the workplace.

Waterlogic employs trained technicians to install plumed-in dispensers straight into your supply, which the dispenser cools and purifies for unlimited fresh water. No more interruptions, no risk of the door being left open after a delivery.

3) You lose valuable space

You pay a high price for office space. It’s a valuable commodity and so it becomes increasingly expensive to store plastic bottles, especially given you must store both full and empty containers. Office space costs anywhere from $500 to $1,000+ per square metre, meaning it could cost you tens-of-thousands per annum.

If you could free the area for an employee, you’d have a resource that generates income, opposed to plastic that incurs a cost. Waterlogic benchtop water dispensers require very little space, maximising the return on your office rent.

4) Workplace injuries cost businesses thousands

Every time a bottle runs dry, a staff member must remove the empty bottle and lift a heavy, filled container to replace it. If lifted incorrectly, the staff member risks serious injury; a simple slip could spill water on the floor to create another workplace hazard; even stacked empty bottles risk tripping people over.

Safe Work Australia estimates work-related injury costs the Australian economy over $61 billion-a-year in direct and indirect costs. Moreover, employees in some states could be eligible for up to two-and-a-half years of income support at 85% of pre-injury wage. Avoid the risk by removing the hazard and investing in a Waterlogic plumbed-in water dispenser.

5) A contaminated drinking water supply will cost even more

Finally, there’s the risk of a contaminated water supply causing workplace illness. Bottled water coolers can be a hotbed for bacteria, harboring one strain in particular known as Bacillus: a rod-shaped aerobic bacteria that thrives in exposed spaces. When employees use the dispenser, they risk contact with the pathogen, which can cause illnesses such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. As sickness costs US businesses $84 billion in lost productivity per year, this is one expense all offices could do without. Waterlogic coolers use a carbon-based water filter and UV-based Firewall technology to keep your water supply free from sickness-causing pathogens, contaminants, and chlorine. The surfaces of the dispenser also include BioCote® technology: a silver additive with anti-microbial properties, that prevents the growth of microorganisms to neutralize germs instantly.

Make the smart choice of a plumbed-in dispenser

The hidden costs of a bottled water cooler could make them a workplace disaster. Waterlogic fights the invisible with premium dispensers that use the latest technologies to both mitigate the risks and increase workplace efficiency.

Avoid the delivery expense, save on space, keep your office secure and your workforce healthy with a plumbed-in Waterlogic water cooler.