Boiling water taps are the latest must-have kitchen upgrade, removing the need for a kettle and saving time, energy and space. They also help to keep your worktops and sink area streamlined and uncluttered for a cleaner finish.

These innovative taps dispense boiling, filtered and ambient water and some models offer regular hot and cold water too, all with built-in child safety features.

Safety

The gleaming fixture in your kitchen may look elegant and sophisticated, but paediatricians and injury prevention specialists are painfully aware that it can also serve up water that burns like fire. Each year, in Canada alone, hot tap water causes more than 150 severe and traumatic injuries to children, mostly in the home.

The Hospital for Sick Children’s national injury prevention program, Safe Kids Canada, decided to take action, seeking changes at the regulatory level. It acquired epidemiological data on the problem and engaged with regulators as a full participant in the code development process, rather than just an advisor.

This involved addressing multiple issues, including educating the public, providing free hot water temperature cards as part of its annual Safe Kids Week campaign, and developing an advocacy strategy involving a small team of paediatric experts and injury prevention specialists with expertise in healthy public policy advocacy. The strategy included engagement with multiple stakeholders to build consensus on the problem, and presentation of the etiological and epidemiological facts to decision makers, as well as advocacy to change codes and standards.

The ideal solution is a boiling water tap that can dispense all types of water, ranging from instant boiling to cold and filtered water, with the added benefit of being equipped with safety features. These would include child locks, insulated pipes and a proximity sensor that activates when the HotKey is near, to ensure safe delivery of piping hot water.

Convenience

A boiling water tap can provide instant, on-demand hot water at the push of a button. You can use it to make tea and coffee, steam vegetables, cook pasta or sterilise baby bottles. It’s also a great way to keep your family hydrated, with no need to boil a kettle or fill up water bottles that then sit in the fridge all day.

There are models that work in conjunction with your existing sink tap and look much like a regular kitchen tap, and others that can be installed as a standalone unit. Both types are available with a number of additional functions, such as the ability to dispense both boiling and standard hot water, or filtered cold water. They may also have a built-in child safety lock for peace of mind in busy family kitchens.

The hottest models can also deliver up to 2.4 litres of almost-boiled water in an instant – ideal for speeding up rice and pasta dishes, or making a quick cup of tea. Plus, they come with a clever magnetic HotKey that stores conveniently behind the tap body so it is always handy and can’t be misplaced.

You’ll also save energy by using a boiling water tap, which consumes less electricity than a kettle. That’s because they only dispense when you need it, unlike kettles which are notorious for overfilling and then wasting water through re-boiling.

Energy efficiency

Boiling water taps work a little like an electric shower, taking mains water and heating it up within a thermally-insulated tank. This ensures that the boiling water you get out of the tap is at a constant hot temperature. They also use a spring lock system, which automatically shuts off the steaming hot water when you release the tap lever, protecting against accidental scalding and dramatically reducing energy usage compared to a traditional kettle.

They also operate at a lower water pressure, which reduces splashing and allows you to pour water into pots and pans more quickly and easily. Plus, the taps are heavily insulated, which protects against condensation that can cause rust.

A good quality instant boiling water tap will only dispense water when you press the button, which reduces waste compared to a kettle that can be left unattended for long periods of time. You’ll also only be dispensing the amount of water you need, which reduces wastage – around 1 litre per minute for most taps.

The most efficient boiling water tap options are pumped systems, which use a computer-controlled pump to only dispense water when it’s needed. This avoids any unnecessary heat loss and is more efficient than a standard tap that takes water from the hot or cold tank. The only downside to this system is that it can be slightly more expensive than other types of instant hot water taps.

Style

A boiling water tap is a great addition to any kitchen and can blend in with your kitchens aesthetic adding function as well as style. They declutter bench tops by eliminating the need for a kettle and can free up space in your fridge by replacing bulky water filter jugs.

Many models also allow you to enjoy instant cool filtered and sparkling water, which can be used for drinking or cooking. This can help with hydration as it encourages you to drink more water and keep hydrated during the day, which is essential for good health.

Some taps have a childproof feature that requires you to press the catch before turning the lever to dispense water, keeping children and other household members safe from scalding hot water accidents. They also have a built-in light that turns red when the tap is switched on to indicate that it is dispensing boiling water.

Look for a tap with a slimline design that will fit easily into your sink bowl. This will save you time and effort as it won’t require a separate tap head or extra plumbing, and can be installed in the same way as any monobloc mixer tap. Choose a tap that offers a choice of finishes and suits your sink, whether it’s modern or traditional. A stylish black finish is a popular option and will complement your kitchen.