My house has seen plenty of refurbishing and home improvements. Scrimping and saving for redesigning every four years gives me some satisfaction and knowledge that I can treat myself to something nice. Recently we saw our kitchen transform from a small block to a spacious modern facility, to which many of our friends and family spend most of their times lounging in, rather than lounging in the lounge!

Most impressive of all in our kitchen is the built in hot water dispenser that we decided would be quite fitting for the theme of kitchen - modern and minimalist. Hot water dispensers are seen in many offices and work environment since the staple beverage for many hard working individuals is either tea or coffee. In a bid to become more environmentally friendly we decided that using a water dispenser would somehow reduce the amount of electricity usage in the house.

Hot water dispensers work by heating up filtered water quickly, without having to wait around as you would when boiling water in a kettle. In addition, their main feature is the easy dispenser that releases water without having to pour water in a cup, saving you time and enabling energy efficiency in your kitchen.

These are also useful for people conscious of lime scale and calcium build up in the kettle. Often this can affect the functioning of the kettle, causing it to stop working or taking longer to heat up water. This adds to energy wasting and increases in electricity wastage. Furthermore, many people will find that kettles are more dangerous to keep in the kitchen, as there is more risk in spillage causing damage to surfaces or to you.

Often with kettles, we tend to fill it up more than we need to; instead of re-heating what is left over we pour out what we do not need, refilling it with yet more water and going through the process again of waiting for the kettle to boil. This adds to the wastage issue - wasting water. With hot water dispensers at a twist of a knob or a pull of a lever, you are able to control how much water you need without the worry of wasting excess water.

Portable water dispensers are also available for those not wishing to install a water tank, but rather prefer to refill it like an urn. The difference is, these are much smaller than an urn, about the same size of an average kettle and heat up within minutes. This can save you approximately fifty percent of energy compared to a standard kettle.

The dispensers do not store hot water, on the contrary they heat water up as it passes through, therefore, making it safe to use. Some dispensers can be built in with a tank, in which case they will need maintenance from time-to-time so no damage from the temperature is caused. However, the tanks are never pressurised as it is hooked up to the water tank.

Normal hot water taps are around 120 degrees, whereas in a dispenser they are released at 190 degrees, which is ideal for making soups, coffee, tea or hot chocolate. For those looking at redesigning their kitchen, should consider purchasing a hot water dispenser. If like me you lack the patience of waiting for a kettle to boil and are concerned about energy efficiency, then a water dispenser is best for you.

More people are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint; one method is reducing energy, electricity and water wastage. As the kitchen and bathroom uses up more water than any other room in the house, this is the best place to start reducing carbon emissions.