What is a water cooler? It’s a freestanding device that consumes energy to cool and/or heat water for human consumption. Both bottled and bottle-less water cooler types are covered under this category. Bottle-less water coolers include Point-of-Use (POU) and air-source water generating units. Units that provide pressurized water are included as long as they are free standing, i.e., not wall mounted, under sink, or otherwise building integrated. A compartment-type bottled water cooler is a bottled water cooler which, in addition to the primary function of cooling and dispensing potable water, includes a refrigerated compartment with or without provisions for making ice.
There are three categories:
- Cold Only Units: These units dispense cold water only. These units have a refrigeration cycle.
- Hot and Cold Units: These units dispense both hot and cold water. Some units may have a third room-temperature tap. These units have both an electric resistance heater and a refrigeration cycle.
- Cook and Cold Units: These units dispense both cold and room-temperature water. These units have a refrigeration cycle
A Higher Standard: ENERGY STAR®
Water coolers that dispense cold water or both cold and room-temperature water must have standby energy consumption of no more than 0.16 kWh/day (standby energy refers to the energy required to maintain the water at an appropriate dispensing temperature) to qualify for the ENERGY STAR mark. Water coolers that dispense both hot and cold water must have standby energy consumption of no more than 1.20 kWh/day.
Compare current models of water coolers by visiting product listings, which show ENERGY STAR qualified models.
List of models: Water Coolers (US)