AquAid Water Coolers

AquAid Water Coolers: water coolers for businesses and schools in the UK

AquAid is a British national water cooler company founded in 1992 by the Searle family. It began as a home bottled water delivery service and evolved into the sale and rental of water coolers, becoming, according to its own presentation, the UK's largest organically grown water cooler company. In 1998 AquAid Franchising was created to expand the business nationally; the company has 23 franchises across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, each owner-operated and subject to its service standards.

Range of dispensers and coolers

The offering is organised into four main product lines:

• Bottled water coolers: freestanding models, requiring no mains connection or plumbing, designed for small offices or spaces with fewer than ten employees. The spring water is naturally filtered at source and delivered to your door with free delivery and flexible bottle replenishment schedules.
• Mains-fed water coolers: high-capacity systems for medium and large offices, schools and high-traffic environments. They are installed and maintained by accredited technicians and avoid manual handling and bottle storage. There are models with hot, cold or ambient water.
• Boiling water dispensers: stainless steel units with on-demand boiling water and full maintenance.
• AquAid instant taps: compact, space-saving taps that provide instant, unlimited chilled or boiled filtered water.

The company also sells drinking water fountains for public spaces, gyms and educational facilities, available in countertop or freestanding versions, and specific solutions for schools and the hotel and catering sector.

Buy or rent with maintenance included

AquAid offers its customers the option to buy or rent the equipment. Rental contracts include periodic maintenance, full sanitisation and supply of spare parts when necessary. The company states that it serves more than 30,000 customers in the UK and that its services are aimed at businesses, public organisations and registered charities.

Franchise network and coverage

The franchise structure covers much of the UK. The branches cited by the company are grouped into several areas: East of England (Essex), London (Central and South East), Midlands (Birmingham and Coventry), North East England (Middlesbrough and Newcastle/Cumbria), North West England (Liverpool and Manchester), South East (Aylesbury, Reading, Southampton, Kent and Surrey), South West (South West and Swindon), Yorkshire and Humber (Leeds and Sheffield), Northern Ireland (Belfast) and Scotland (Aberdeen, Glasgow and Central Scotland).

Charitable commitment

The company links its activity to projects providing access to drinking water. According to its own information, it works with Christian Aid and created The Africa Trust in 2010. The company states it has donated more than £12 million and has provided a lifetime supply of clean water to more than two million people. In another section of the site, the donation figure rises to more than £18 million and more than 2.9 million beneficiaries.

Frequently asked questions about the equipment

The company distinguishes between floor-standing coolers, ideal for large spaces such as offices or schools due to their greater capacity, and countertop coolers, compact and designed for small offices, kitchens or areas with limited space. Both options provide chilled, ambient or hot water and only require a power socket. For public spaces, gyms and educational centres, it offers drinking water fountains that are easy to sanitise, with instant access to chilled water and available in countertop or freestanding versions.