It's a common debate - hot water dispenser vs kettle? Which one is better for boiling water and making those all-important tea or coffee rounds quickly and easily? We'll look into both products to help you decide which is right. Both have benefits and drawbacks, but which is better for your office?

Hot water dispenser vs kettle

For years, the humble kettle has been an essential piece of office equipment, on hand to boil faithfully many times daily to keep staff refreshed with tea and coffee. But times are changing, and while many businesses see the kettle as vital for small teams or one-man-bands, larger offices realise that a hot water dispenser might be a more suitable investment.

Making the switch from a kettle to an instant hot water dispenser will certainly reduce the time wasted waiting for the kettle to boil and your energy consumption at the same time. But while a kettle will use a larger amount of electricity for a shorter time, a hot water dispenser will use a smaller amount over a longer period, giving you far more hot water.

How much does it cost to boil a kettle?

This will depend entirely on your usage. But if your kettle comes in for heavy use, the chances are a hot water dispenser would give you a time, cost, and energy advantage. But first, let’s focus on the kettle.

A typical 2-litre, 3kW kettle will take around 3+ minutes to boil using about 0.225kWh electricity. And with an average unit currently costing around 35p (depending on your location and energy provider), the power used (0.225kWh) x cost of one kWh in pence (0.35) means the cost to boil a full kettle is just under 8p.

It will always be more expensive to boil a full kettle than half a kettle, as less water to be heated means less energy being used. So it’s crucial only to fill your kettle with as much water as you need. But with an average of 10 office workers all sharing a kitchen, that will mean multiple boils every day.

How much does it cost to run a hot water dispenser?

Giving you an uninterrupted supply of hot water, a standard hot water dispenser can provide up to 28 litres of 96ºC water every hour. And once it reaches that temperature, it will stay there all day, even while the unit goes into standby mode.

Our bestselling hot water dispenser, the 1000C, ideal for any office with up to 10 people, will use 0.066kWh in standby mode. So to work out the usage cost, the power used (0.066kWh) x cost of one kWh in pence (0.35) means running a hot water dispenser is just over 2p per hour – or around 16p day.

But on top of these excellent savings, let's remember that every hot water dispenser can deliver 100% pure-filtered water, is easy to use, and comes with safety features that prevent the water from overboiling and the unit from boiling dry. And you can switch it off at night too.

Hot water dispenser vs kettle – what’s the verdict?

Repeatedly boiling a kettle wastes time and energy but is better for low usage. In comparison, a hot water dispenser is a far more energy-efficient and cost-effective way to get near-boiling water over an extended period and is a much better option for staff numbers of 10+. Check out our hot boiler saver to see what you could be saving.

If installing a Thirsty Work water dispenser is a sensible next step for your business, call the team today on 01392 877 172 or email us at hello@thirstywork.com. We’ll give you a free quote, or we can arrange your no-obligation, free 10-day trial so you can try it for yourself.