A new water dispenser in the lobby of Hotel Indigo in Santa Barbara resembles the clean, classic look of purifiers used before the metallic machine, but its production process is anything but predictable.
The Skywell 5T uses technology creating water from moisture in the air through a so-called air water dispenser.
It looks like water, tastes like water and hydrates like the stuff.
Although sounding too good to be true, especially during a devastating regional drought, Santa Monica-based Skywell LLC has developed the technology to create “air water” — what we all know and love, sans additives and natural minerals.
Hotel Indigo just plugged its machine into a standard electric outlet this week as one of a dozen Southern California hotels and businesses piloting the company’s first models for free in a “first-glass program,” said Jonathan Carson, Skywell co-founder and president.
The five-gallon 5T unit draws in air and takes that collected moisture to purify through a multi-filter process, which involves ultraviolet and ozone exposure.
Each machine has a touch-screen app to control temperatures and monitor daily water usage, with production depending on the climate — humidity of at least 35 percent required, creating about five gallons per day.
Users can press one of two buttons, hot or cold, and then dispense and drink.
If businesses like the dispensers after 30 to 60 days, they can lease one for about $80 per month or buy one for about $2,800.
The technology has been around awhile, but Carson said other companies haven’t been so successful marketing a product, partly because picking a target market can be difficult.
Carson co-founded the company more than a year ago with Skywell CEO Ron Dorfman and Eric Kurtzman, a fellow Los Angeles attorney who helped Carson create technology firm Kurtzman Carson Consultants.
Skywell plans to focus initially on offices and multi-unit environments, such as hotels, schools, hospitals and other businesses whose owners want to do their part to help the environment by limiting plastic-bottle usage and water waste, Carson said.
Skywell could extend to other U.S. markets and the home as soon as next year.
“The need is pretty dire up here,” Carson said. “It’s very similar to your average small refrigerator when it comes to energy consumption.”
Carson expected the five-gallon Skywell model to be in 25 more businesses by next month, with a 100-gallon version for consumption and one for irrigation coming soon after. Figuring out how to filter in additives and minerals will follow.
Realizing the scarcity of water and other resources, Skywell will compete with the five-gallon delivery model and other water filtration systems, Carson said, not your average tap water.
Hotel Indigo manager Dan Alvarado is already enjoying what he called a “beautiful machine,” which replaced a more wasteful reverse osmosis device purifying tap water.
“We are excited to have this opportunity,” Alvarado said. “I hope we can keep it long term.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.