Call centres, large offices, factories, hospitals, schools, fire stations, prisons – the list is endless. Until recently, the boiling water needs in the majority of commercial and public sector premises were satisfied with kettles, or sometimes urns; these, however, take up huge amounts of people’s time, and in some cases waste energy and pose safety risks.

Consider organisations with structured tea breaks; how many minutes are spent boiling and re-boiling the kettle to cater for everyone? Employers, too, see many working hours wasted away unnecessarily – it has been estimated that in an office with 20 members of staff, two hours a day will be taken up waiting for the kettle to boil.

Kettles also pose a potential health and safety risk; they can be knocked over, or steam can scald the unwary. Trailing cables can be easily damaged, allowing live conductors to be exposed. Add these issues to the fact that every kettle in the workplace has to be PAT tested annually, and they can suddenly appear to be a great deal of trouble.

A large number of organisations have already started to recognise the benefits of wall mounted boiling water units, which are permanently connected to the mains water supply and provide an immediate and constant supply of boiling water for tea, coffee and other hot drinks and snacks, eliminating the need for a kettle. With around 40,000 units sold last year, the market continues to be a growing one.

Sales of Heatrae Sadia’s Supreme SS boiling water units mirror this market growth. Compact, neat and modern in design, Supreme SS has an attractive, ultra-modern stylish stainless steel casing with a fingerprint-proof finish and sturdy satin chrome finished die cast taps.

The Supreme SS range meets the hot water needs of a diverse range of applications - from school staff rooms to football stadiums. It has seven capacities, with the 2.5 litre unit delivering 150 cups of boiling water an hour and the 40 litre unit providing 560.

As well as offering time and energy saving benefits, the Supreme SS range also features the latest advances in terms of performance and hot water recovery. Its Intelliboil Plus technology regularly brings the contents of the water container to the boil in response to ongoing user demand. When there has been no draw off for a period of one hour, it reduces the maximum stored water temperature. This avoids unnecessary boiling until there is renewed user demand.

For the benefit of building services managers, Supreme SS also offers ease of installation and maintenance. The range includes push-fit fittings with straightforward electrical connections and commissioning is fully automatic. LEDs inform the installer about the progress of the commissioning process and indicate when the unit is ready for use. The integral water conditioner means lime scale removal and servicing requirements are minimal, even in the most extreme water conditions. On the four larger capacity units, a hinged mounting bracket allows the unit to be pivoted upwards, giving full access to the water container. This means any lime scale that does form can be quickly and easily removed without having to demount the unit.

The provision of boiling water is not the only drinking water consideration that organisations face; a large number are focusing on chilled water. The benefits of drinking water throughout the day have been well documented by the press over recent years. Consuming less than the recommended amount of two litres of water a day means adults are at risk of becoming dehydrated, affecting concentration and performance. Research has shown that people are less efficient when they are dehydrated, with mental performance declining by as much as 10% when they are thirsty.

Under the Health and Safety Executive, all employers have a responsibility to provide an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water at work. However, ensuring workers drink enough water is not always straightforward. People are often reluctant to drink unfiltered tap water, common complaints being that it has an unpleasant taste, and that it is not the right temperature.

The alternative for many organisations is bottled water coolers. These, however, can create several issues. Water coolers can cost around £400 a year and think also of the health and safety concerns involved; the replacement bottles are often heavy and cumbersome and will require someone strong enough - and willing - to lift and change them.

The use of bottled water also raises issues relating to the environment. The alliance for better food and farming, Sustain, recently reported that some two billion bottles of water were purchased last year. The environmental impact of this is huge, with the majority of water bottles having ended up being incinerated or buried in landfill sites.

Mains fed chilled water units are therefore proving a popular option for many organisations, and, as with the boiling water unit market, this has also seen significant growth, rising by around 30% throughout Europe. Mains fed units are plumbed into the mains water supply, providing constant, cool and pleasant tasting water.

Heatrae Sadia’s SuperChill unit provides a simple and cost-effective supply of cool, fresh tasting, filtered water. The unit caters for up to 80 people (25 litres) an hour, using less than one unit of electricity per day. There are three models to choose from, with floor-standing, wall-mounted and under-counter options available for a range of needs.

With tea breaks being an integral part of the British working day and the majority of the British public familiar with the benefits of drinking regular amounts of water, providing an adequate supply of boiling and chilled water in the workplace has never been more important.

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