Bottled vs Mains Fed Water Coolers: What’s Best for Your Business?

Choosing the right water cooler for your business might seem like a minor decision, but the right choice can save you money and hassle in the long run. Whether you opt for a plumbed in or bottled system, the decision will impact the cost, convenience and environmental effects of your water cooler.

In this guide, we'll break down how each option works, where each excels and what the advantages and disadvantages of each system are, helping you to make the best decision for your workplace.

What is a Bottled Water Cooler?

A bottled water cooler is a freestanding unit that gets its water from large refillable bottles. These bottles typically hold around 19 litres of water and are swapped out when empty.

Best places to use bottled water coolers

You should consider using bottled water coolers in:

• Smaller offices with low to medium-level consumption 
• Temporary offices 
• Areas where plumbing cannot easily be accessed

As bottled coolers don’t need to be connected to a water supply, they can be placed anywhere as long as there is a plug socket.

Advantages of bottled water coolers

• Easy to install - No plumbing needed
• Flexible placement - Can be easily moved around if required
• Affordable - Low up-front costs
• Clean water - Your water will already be filtered and sealed in the bottles

Disadvantages of bottled water coolers

• Continuous costs - The cost of regularly buying in water bottles can build up
• Storage - You’ll need space to keep spare bottles
• Heavy lifting - Water bottles can be heavy (up to 20kg) and difficult to change manually
• Not as good for the environment - Plastic bottles and delivery increase your carbon footprint.

What is a Mains Fed Water Cooler?

A mains fed water cooler, also known as a plumbed in system, takes the water directly from your water supply providing filtered and chilled water on demand.

They are also commonly called “point of use” water coolers.

Best places to use mains fed water coolers

Ideal environments for mains fed water coolers include:

• Medium to large offices with high water consumption
• Areas with high footfall 
• Permanent workplaces or buildings 
• Environmentally conscious businesses

How do they work?

Mains fed water coolers don’t require the delivery of heavy water bottles, but instead, they’ll source the water direct from your mains supply, meaning there’s no heavy lifting to replace bottles.

Pros of mains fed water coolers

• Never run out - Unlimited chilled and filtered drinking water
• Cost-effective - After setup there are no ongoing costs
• Environmentally friendly - Much better for the planet than bottled water options
• No storage needed - No need to store any spare bottles
• Low maintenance - Will only require a new filter every 6 months, but that will be carried out by an engineer.

Cons of mains fed water coolers

• Installation cost - They’re more expensive to setup than bottled coolers
• Dependent on water access - You need to have access to your water mains
• Not portable - Once installed, you can't move them without reconnecting to pipework.

The Differences Between Bottled & Mains Fed Explained

With both options having their own pros and cons, how do you decide which system is better for you?

Here are the key points that differentiate each type of water cooler.

Bottled Water Cooler

• Delivers water in heavy bottles
• Units can be moved around to different areas
• Higher ongoing costs
• Better for smaller offices
• Not as good for the environment

Mains Fed Water Cooler

• Connected directly to water supply
• Must remain in the same place
• Lower on-going costs
• Ideal for offices with more employees
• Better for the environment

Conclusion

Bottled water coolers and mains fed water coolers can both work well in an office environment.

If you value flexibility and simplicity, a bottled water cooler could be the right fit. But if you’re looking for a long-term, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly solution, a mains fed water cooler is often the better choice.

It all comes down to the size of your office, how much water you’ll use and your business priorities. By understanding the differences, you can choose a system that keeps your team hydrated while supporting your operational goals.