When it comes to the provision of drinking water in commercial environments, the key considerations for specifiers should be health and safety, speed and efficiency. Richard Newman, senior product manager at Heatrae Sadia, explains more.
Although workplace catering facilities vary in size and type, they all require boiling and chilled drinking water.
Traditionally, boiling water has been provided via kettle or urn, whilst cold water provision frequently relies on bottled water coolers. However, these are no longer the best solutions, with multiple alternatives available.
One such is an electric boiling water unit, which provides a constant supply of hot water, which can be used for various purposes. In smaller workplace kitchens, boiling water units are ideal for quickly making hot drinks like tea and coffee, and for preparing instant snacks and soups. This is particularly beneficial for busy working environments where employees don’t have time to wait for a kettle to boil. And in larger catering environments, such as canteens and cafés, having boiling water literally on tap for food preparation can save huge amounts of time.
Boiling water units also eliminate safety hazards; kettles and urns full of boiling water can be knocked over, and trailing cables can be damaged. Kettle users can also be scalded by water spilling from the appliance, or by steam. In comparison, boiling water units are securely mounted onto a wall or counter top, so they can’t be knocked over.
As well as offering time saving and safety benefits, boiling water units are also energy efficient, delivering the amount of water required and replacing it as it is used. In comparison, kettles and urns are invariably filled with more water than is needed, which wastes energy.
Our easy-to-install, five litre capacity stylish Aquatap is based on our market leading Supreme boiling water product, and includes similar built-in safety features and the same Intelliboil™Plus technology. This effectively and efficiently manages the boiling cycle by regularly bringing the contents of the water container to the boil in response to ongoing user demand.
Over recent years there’s also been growing demand for cold drinking water in the workplace. The case for drinking an adequate amount of water is well-documented; dehydration can contribute to headaches, tiredness and irritability, as well as serious health problems.
Some workplaces opt for bottled water coolers, but this can be expensive and involves a lot of maintenance in terms of replacing and storing the relatively large, heavy bottles. In addition, bottled water in general has come under scrutiny in recent years, in terms of its environmental impact and whether plastic water bottles actually harbour potentially harmful bacteria.
We offer the SuperChill chilled water unit, and Aquatap is designed to deliver refreshing chilled or ambient water in addition to boiling water; there are boiling only, boiling/chilled and boiling/ambient versions available.
An increasing number of businesses and organisations are beginning to appreciate the benefits that instant boiling and chilled water products provide, whether they have a small kitchen or large catering facilities. When it comes to specifying these, it’s well worth considering the options in order to select the safest, simplest and most efficient products.
