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Convenience is what most people are looking for in their daily lives. We desire speed, efficiency, and practicality. It’s really no surprise then that the boiling tap is becoming so popular. Boiling water at the touch of a button cuts out time waiting for the kettle to boil and uses less energy too. The introduction of boiling taps in the home and workplace saves time, energy and water. For the fast-paced modern family or workforce, under-counter water systems are a logical choice. It appeals to those of us with our pockets, the environment, and a busy schedule on our mind. If you’re not familiar with the benefits of a boiling tap, let us tell you.
Imagine how fast you could boil your water if it was already hot. It’s a bit like filling a kettle from your hot tap, then boiling that. But in the case of Billi Taps, our technology does just that, except (unlike a kettle), we provide water that is filtered to give a pure odourless, sediment-free taste. This enables Billi to produce a system that uses far less electricity and apart from the very largest commercial unit, the Quadra will run from a 13 amp power supply.
Our boiling taps work by harnessing thermodynamic heat-exchange technology to recover waste heat energy. By harvesting the waste heat generated by the chilled water cooling cycle, we then reuse it to preheat the water entering the hot water tank. This design provides a massive CO2 energy saving compared to conventional boiling and chilled units. Billi still leads the market for commercial boiling taps today by using this technology.
With our Time Clock, Sleep Mode and Eco Mode, you can rest knowing that you are saving every day on your energy bills, but still, have instant dispense through the days from your Billi Taps. With its highly efficient heat harvesting technology, the Billi Quadra dispenses more cups instantly than any tap of its kind on the market. This allows for peak periods of high demand in the teapoint or canteen environment. Billi regards instant dispense as the most important measure of a boiling and chilled systems capacity.
The main benefit of boiling taps is their practicality. They remove the need to stand and wait around for the kettle to boil. In a workplace environment, this is particularly important. The larger the workforce is, the more demand there will be for hot drinks over the day – particularly at break or lunchtimes. Kettles can only heat a certain amount of water, whereas boiling taps can consistently provide boiling water even during periods of high demand. 90% of the adult British population drink either tea or coffee on a daily basis. This means most of your employees will be drinking hot drinks throughout the day. Switching to an under-counter water system negates the need for kettles, provides more water and reduces wait time for hot drinks.
Aside from providing hot water on demand, boiling taps are also beneficial for your pocket. The average kettle costs about 2.5p to boil, while Billi boiling taps cost around 0.09p a day. Due to the reduced use or energy and water compared to other water systems, Billi costs less money to run. Then, there are the environmental benefits. When you boil a kettle, the minimum fill line is usually double that of one mug. Therefore, many people overfill their kettle – heating and wasting energy on water that won’t be used, or even tipped away. A hot tap can save around 100 litres of water a year.
With boiling taps, you don’t heat more water than you need to. This prevents unnecessary energy waste. Thus saving you money and water! Billi’s unique heat-exchange system uses change-of-state technology allowing a large amount of heat to be absorbed and stored. Typically, this heat, generated during the chilling cycle, is wasted to the atmosphere. Billi recovers this waste heat energy to preheat the boiling water enabling our systems to achieve substantial energy savings.
Very few “boiling” taps are actually at 100C. But, that’s no bad thing. Most boiling taps actually produce water that sits at a temperature of around 98C. By the time it leaves the tap and reaches your cup, it will probably be a few degrees cooler than that. Water that is slightly below boiling is actually best for optimum taste of hot drinks. You may not know, but it is actually possible to burn coffee, and if tea is made with water that is too hot, it can have a bitter taste. If you make your tea or coffee with a kettle, you should actually leave the water cool a little before making your beverage. For a time-saving water boiling tap, you’re best off choosing one that is below 100C.
Because boiling point varies by altitude, Billi systems identify the boiling point during the startup mode and set the temperature accordingly to ensure your boiling water is as close to boiling point as possible. The systems leave the factory preset at the perfect 98.5°C.
Another benefit of boiling taps is that most – including Billi, come with a built-in filtration system. Water is purified before reaching your cup, and as such prevents limescale build up on the tap. The filter also ensures that your water is as pure as possible, making your water taste fresher, and removing anything nasty such as bacteria or chlorine. Taste tests have been carried out like this one by Brita, which shows how filtered water can actually affect the taste and appearance of your trusty cuppa. Not only does non-filtered water affect the taste of beverages, it can also affect the taste of foods while cooking.
Having a boiling tap is practical and efficient. But, are they safe? With 98C water coming from the spout, there could be a danger. Here are the precautions we put in place to ensure your safety whilst still providing instant hot water!
All our Boiling and Chilled dispensers come with an integrated safety switch. The red lock icon demonstrates when the safety switch is activated, simply press the switch to release the lock and allow full use of boiling water. The system will revert to safety mode after 8 seconds of non-use. This feature is in place so that you can’t accidentally leave the steaming water running like you can with a ‘normal’ tap. Fewer burns and scalds will occur because of our safety precautions, however, always be careful around near boiling water.
Boiling water taps produce hot water at a slightly lower pressure than you might expect. This is to prevent the water from spitting and splashing, again keeping you safe. Electronic control of boiling water delivery ensures user safety. The flow is momentarily slowed as the water exits the dispenser, eliminating splashing as the water enters the cup.
If you like the sound of our under-counter Billi water systems, then get in touch. You can save yourself precious time and money and make an environmentally conscious decision. We have different models for different sizes of workforce, and there will be one to suit your exact needs. View our case studies for previous clients that have chosen Billi systems for their workplace.