In increasing numbers, workplaces are switching to filtered drinking water coolers to eliminate the hassles and headaches of bottles and to cut administrative and drinking water costs while dramatically improving the taste and quality of office drinking water.

There are three reasons that end users might make the switch from 5-gallon bottled water coolers to filtered coolers:

1. Cost savings: By eliminating the cost of renting or purchasing a bottled water cooler and the cost of having the bottles delivered, clients can cut monthly costs by 20 to 75 percent. This does not take into account the cost of storage space for the full and empty bottles or the indirect labor costs to stock, deliver and change bottles.
2. Convenience: Filtered coolers can eliminate the hassles of once or twice-monthly bottled water deliveries, storage space required for stockpiling bottles, the possibility of running out of water, and security issues with delivery people coming through an office 12 to 52 times per year. There is also the possibility of injury and workers’ compensation claims as a result of lifting 42-pound bottles.
3. Improved water quality: Without proper monthly cleaning and sanitizing, the water storage reservoirs of bottled water coolers are prime breeding grounds for bacteria, algae and biofilm growth. While basic filtered coolers are not immune to that same biofilm growth, the nature of their sealed system slows the growth of microbiologicals to levels below that of “open tank” bottled water coolers.