What’s the best commercial water tap for the office? Let's compare the top manufacturers

Are you considering getting a commercial water tap for your office? There are many benefits of replacing your kettle or bulky water cooler with a commercial water tap. They’re convenient and instantly provide fresh, filtered water. Of course, it’s essential to keep your team hydrated at work. Research proves that it can raise productivity by increasing focus, improving mental clarity and combating tiredness. And of course, employers have a legal obligation to provide drinking water. 

Commercial water taps can be a stylish, aesthetically pleasing addition to your kitchen. They can be space-saving and time-saving leaving you to get on with the important things like running your business.

However, with so many makes and models available, it’s hard to know which commercial water tap is right for you and your team. We look at some of the market’s top commercial water tap manufacturers leading the way in performance, innovation and design. We also help you to understand what factors are important to consider when making your final decision.

What do I need from my commercial tap?

Design and finish

Like many things, this comes down to a lot of individual factors. There are extensive designs and finishes to choose from, so you’ll want one that fits your kitchen aesthetic.

Consider how much space you have vs how much space a new water tap will take up. There are many different size dimensions – note how tall the tap is so your team can fill up their water bottles easily.

Different taps come with a variety of options, for example, some taps are mounted over the sink whilst others are mounted on a separate font. They also come in lots of different styles and finishes from industrial stainless steel, and on-trend matt black to sleek rose gold and so on. You can also choose standard taps or touchless or electronic dispense buttons.

Convenience and choice

For maximum flexibility and convenience, choose a tap that offers a comprehensive range of options to cater for all users.

Choices include anything from basic chilled-only taps to taps that offer boiling, chilled, sparkling, ambient and hot selections. The most popular office taps will include at least boiling and chilled water so people can make hot drinks like tea or pour a refreshing glass of cold water.

For offices opting for sparkling water, it’s a simple luxury that more and more people enjoy. Consider how much sparkling water you’re buying, because you’ll often find that a tap is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than buying single-use plastic bottles.

In some countries, up to 60% of all water dispensers include a sparking option making it a growing market choice. When choosing a sparkling tap you’ll need a supply of CO2. This is very similar to the domestic soda stream that some of us may remember using at home as a child. CO2 can be purchased either in refillable canisters or in mono-use disposable canisters.

With accessibility in the office being so important, consideration for taps that are easy for everyone to use is important. Some providers will offer a remote tap with adaptations for disabilities. And remember to check that they offer vital safety features to stop any health and safety issues to prevent scalding or burns.

Cost and commitment

As an office or facilities manager, cost is a key driver behind your decision. How much does a water tap cost to run per day and do you want to purchase it outright or rent it for the office? Benefits of rental will often mean the provider will offer a service plan as standard. This is beneficial so if there are any issues, you’re covered and downtime is minimal.

Rental options also have various contract lengths so look into this before you make any long-term commitments. When choosing to partner with any new business, do your due diligence and research. Look for companies that offer good customer service, and quality equipment and ones that are reliable and trustworthy. Check online reviews like TrustPilot, Google or Facebook and you can even contact existing customers if possible. We’ve put together a guide on How to Choose an Office Service Partner which is helpful.

I know what I need from a commercial water tap, so what do I do next?

There are lots of water taps on the market and below we’ll discuss four of the big key players in the UK.

Billi

Billi is a leading manufacturer and supplier of commercial under-sink boiling, chilled and sparkling filtered drinking water tap systems. Founded in 1989, they offer a wide range of taps with space, energy and time efficiency benefits for office kitchens. They offer extra tall taps to ensure your team can easily refill water bottles. Their machines are water-cooled, energy-efficient and come in lots of finishes to fit in with any kitchen aesthetic.

Billi is committed to delivering sustainable designs that actively reduce negative impacts on the environment. The manufacture of their taps follows an ecological process that minimises the reliance on single-use plastics and maximises office energy savings.

Borg & Overström

Borg & Overström was founded in 2002 and has since become a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative and sustainable drinking water solutions. They operate globally through a network of distributors but their taps are designed and manufactured here in the UK. We love these taps which is why we offer a bespoke range to our customers. If you’re looking for a good all-round solution that’s practical, sustainable, affordable and stylish, we recommend the T4 tap.

The T4 model is highly versatile with the capacity to serve up to 60 people with chilled, sparkling, and hot water options. Its high dispense height facilitates the easy filling of bottles, enhancing user convenience and negating the need for single-use plastic water bottles or cups.  Plus it’s available to rent from just £4.00 per day.

Zip Water

Zip Water is one of the originals to bring commercial water taps to market. Founded in Australia in 1962, they created what’s widely known as the world’s first boiling water tap in 1970. Since then, the business has continued to move the industry on. They provide both commercial and domestic water taps in countries all over the world. They offer a good range of taps with various finishes so there will be something that suits your specific office requirements.

Brita Vivreau

You’ll likely have heard of Brita as the leading water filtration expert who combines their knowledge with Vivreau taps – a deal finalised in 2016. Together, they drive many innovations in the market and offer touch-free solutions, lots of choices and are great for both small and large offices.

Discover More: Understand the environmental impact of bottled water

Contact us

Our team work with offices in London and Manchester to help find the perfect commercial water taps for our clients. We’ll take the time to get to know you and understand your unique requirements.

As we are not the manufacturer, we have the advantage of working with several key manufacturing partners. Our 40 years of experience in delivering customer service, coupled with the ability to deliver in-house financed rental and leasing options allow us to give a balanced view of what will bring you the best value.

We’ve put together a water tap comparison chart that you can view online. If you need a hand, just give us a shout and you can check out all our water taps online.