With nutritionists recommending we all drink approximately eight glasses of water per day, it’s no wonder we’ve all gone gaga for the convenience of chilled, bottled water. But as the years go by and the PET bottles pile up around us, how much is bottled water really costing our pockets and the planet? And just how can a BIBO water bar save money?

dollars and the environmental sense of it all

With bottled water now topping out at $3.50 per 600ml at most retail outlets, that eight glasses per day requirement looks to be upwards of $2555 per year. (Based on 2 x bottles @ $3.50 per day x 365 days).

We also need to consider the number of empty PET bottles we are tossing out into the environment. Suffice to say, it's not a pretty picture. According to environmental website, arcadiapower.com:

"Only a quarter of all bottles people buy are recycled. The rest are thrown out, adding to a growing problem; estimates in 2008 were that over 2,480,000 tons of plastic bottles and containers were thrown away."

Even if you're dedicated to recycling, the production processes of producing the world's supply of plastic bottles create even more environmental headaches. For instance, to fulfil the annual demand of water bottles in the U.S., about 17 million barrels of oil are needed.

chilled and boiled water on tap, how much will that cost you?

If you want to bypass the PET bottles and go for chilled, purified water on tap at home, a lot of the solutions are also prohibitively expensive.

For instance, an under sink splitter with chilled and boiled water options built into your kitchen tap, will set you back upwards of $4295. (source: Zip Hydrotap via winningappliances.com.au). These units also require installation by an approved technician at an additional cost.

a BIBO water bar can do better than that

A BIBO water bar  will give you all the chilled, hot and boiled water at the press of a button for a one-off cost of $1496 – including installation. So, even if you only kept it for a year (like that's going to happen!), that’s only $4 per day for unlimited chilled and boiled water, with the cost decreasing for each year that the BIBO water bar sits on your bench top – making it a great way to save money.

When it comes to ongoing maintenance, the BIBO water bar is also economical. The annual cost of BIBO replacement filters is $176 (compared to $490 for a Zip Hydro filter replacement). And with a BIBO water bar, you won’t need to call a plumber or technician because it’s very easy to replace the filter yourself. Yet another way to save money!

worried about bench space?

A BIBO water bar is about the size of a coffee machine and will replace your kettle. It’s also plumbed in to your mains water supply, which means no refilling. It dispenses chilled and boiled water at the touch of a button (up to 75 cups per hour if someone's particularly thirsty...) and includes the option to customise the temperature settings to your own needs.  Think: herbal teas that require different temperatures to make the most of their delicate flavours.

The BIBO water bar dispenses chilled water between 4-16°C, hot/boiling water between 70-98°C, and warm water between 30-60°C: which is useful if you want safe, heated, but not boiling, drinking water at a specific temperature. (For instance: to mix with baby formula, or make warm drinks for younger kids.)

safe for the environment and safe for your little ones

Not only does the BIBO water bar have a child safety feature but it also filters out all the nasties that might be lurking in the tap water - such as chlorine and lead – while retaining the good stuff your little ones need - including calcium and magnesium.

how will it look?

If you’re worried about aesthetics the BIBO water bar comes in eight fashionable colours including the colour scheme cure-all, stainless steel. The unit occupies a space of approximately W30cm x D35cm x H32.5cm on your bench top, so once you get rid of the kettle, it's a 'this for that' swap.

More importantly, the BIBO water bar looks great for your bank balance and the environment.