With the countless daily concerns of building operation, why take time to reconsider how you supply drinking water? If your concerns include cost savings, limited floorspace, utility costs, and the health and well-being of building occupants, it is well worth your time to take a look at ice and water dispensers.
Why Pay More?
The popular practice of providing bottled water as an alternative to building water is an expensive proposition. The national average cost for tap water is less than 0.5 cents per gallon, compared to an average of $1.20 per gallon for bottled water. Your tenants/occupants will contend the price differential is well worth the improvement in taste and quality. However, the quality of bottled water is a much-debated subject. It has been reported that as much as 40 percent of the bottled water on the market today is nothing more than bottled tap water, possibly treated to improve taste. Ice and water dispensers offer a cost-effective, great-tasting alternative to bottled water programs. By processing building water through low-cost filter systems, these dispensers ensure healthy, great-tasting water and eliminate the cost of bottled water.
The savings continue when you reclaim floorspace used for bottle storage for more profitable functions. Ice and water dispensers also eliminate the potential for employee injury from lugging and lifting water bottles, and reduce your security headaches by eliminating bottled water deliveries.
Health, Savings, and Sustainability
Most Americans view ice as an important - even essential - comÂÂponent of their beverages. It keeps drinks fresher longer, an important feature for office workers who sip drinks at their desks all day. Ice and water dispensers provide a convenient source of ice that is both healthy and economical. Communal ice sources, such as ice cube trays and open ice bins, are prime opportunities to spread germs. Ice and water dispensers employ a touch-free, single-serving dispensing system that eliminates cross-contamination and provides a more sanitary, healthful source of ice.
Economically speaking, when compared to ice cube machines, ice and water dispensers consume 30-percent less electricity and over 50-percent less water in the ice-making process. In addition to utility savings, the reduced electrical and water consumption contributes to the overall sustainability of building operations.
Improve Productivity, Health, and Well-Being
Supplying an appealing source of water is more important to your business than you realize. Even mild dehydration can have a distinct impact on employee productivity. A 2-percent drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on a printed page. An additional 3-percent drop reduces the energy level of an average person by 25 to 30 percent. Ice and water dispensers can be placed in breakrooms, work areas, and/or on the manufacturing floor, providing a convenient source of fresh-tasting water that will encourage employees to drink more. The combination of both ice and water from the same dispenser eliminates wasted time trekking back and forth between the fountain and the ice machine to get ice for your beverage.
Today’s ice and water dispensers offer more than just ice and water. Adding them to your workspace provides savings while promoting a healthy workplace and an environmentally sound building.
Diane Nowakowski is product marketing manager at Easton, PA-based Follett Corp. (www.follettice.com).