Water Coolers for Consumers

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Did You Know?

Water coolers in homes and businesses consume about 5 billion kWh/year. ENERGY STAR qualified water coolers use about half of the energy of standard models.

About ENERGY STAR Water Coolers

Water Coolers

A standard hot and cold bottled water cooler can use more energy than a large refrigerator. In fact,

  • Improved separation of hot and cold water to prevent mixing.
  • More insulation to better keep heated water hot and chilled water cold.
  • Improved chilling mechanisms.
Current Specification Effective Date:

January 22, 2010

Water coolers originally qualified for the ENERGY STAR label in September, 2000.

  • EPA qualified water coolers result in 45 percent savings over typical products.
  • Energy Efficiency Requirements: Cold Only & Cook & Cold Bottled Units <0.16 kW- hours/ day; Hot & Cold Bottled Units <1.20 kW- hours/day.
  • EPA is considering revisiting requirements in 2009/2010.

Commercial Water Coolers Key Product Criteria: ENERGY STAR

Learn How a Product Earns the Label

What else should I look for when buying a water cooler?

Home and Small Office:
Bottled water coolers are sold at retail stores and also through some bottled water distributors. If you are purchasing from a store or off the web, look for the ENERGY STAR on the box or the unit itself. If buying or leasing from a bottled water distributor, tell the distributor that you want an ENERGY STAR qualified model. A list of qualified models is available in the right hand sidebar of this page.

Commercial:
When requesting bids for bottled water service that include provision of water coolers, clearly state a preference for ENERGY STAR qualified models in the request for bids. See UMaine Case Study - Purchaser Version PDF (77KB) for an example.

Note: Point of use (POU) water coolers are not covered under the current ENERGY STAR specification.

These FAQs represent the top ten related to Water Coolers and the ENERGY STAR program.

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