Article Credit: Home and Decor by Young Lim on September 8, 2021
Most people won’t do something if they consider it a chore, and that is why Singaporean Benjamin Ling wants to change the way you enjoy fresh water with the Livingcare Jewel.
Mention the term ‘water purifier’ and you will probably think of chunky grey machines that don’t look good and are usually only used in office pantries and hospitals. And that’s also the likely reason why a lot of homeowners wouldn’t rush into installing one in their new home. But our awareness on health issues have changed drastically with the pandemic and there is a growing demand for ways to ensure that the water you are drinking is free of chemicals and contaminants.
For that reason, Benjamin Ling recently launched Livingcare’s new series of home water purifiers that are petite in size and youthful in design but offer all the benefits of bringing affordable and freshly distilled water into your home.
At 28 years of age, Benjamin Ling, founder of Livingcare, is possibly Singapore’s youngest entrepreneur bringing the taste of fresh and clean water to local homes today. He tells Home & Decor about his vision and debunks some common myths about water purifiers.
How did you get started in the industry?
I started off in this industry 10 years ago, as a 17 years old student with a part-time job. In 2019, I was inspired to venture out on my own with the vision of providing more value to my clients and establish a company based on my own core values such as integrity and service excellence.
There are a lot of water purifiers on the market, what makes the Livingcare Jewel stand out?
We know that maximising your kitchen space is a priority. Livingcare’s Jewel Series dispenser comes in a sleek and compact size, with a width of only 13cm and a weight of only 5.9kg. Livingcare’s Jewel is also the first and only motorless tankless alkaline water dispenser in Singapore – it saves the most electricity.
Some homeowners believe that Singapore’s water is safe to drink from the tap, so why is it necessary to have a water purifier at home?
Yes, we are so blessed to be in Singapore where our tap water is so clean and potable; however, the current generation is also more health conscious. Apart from the convenience, they are also worried about the possible contaminants that may be in their water after travelling a long way through the water pipes (sediment, rust, chlorine). This is why some people ‘cover’ their taps with a coffee filter and it turns brown after a period of usage. Hence, many Singaporeans now prefer to play safe by installing water filtration system/dispensers to remove this contaminants from their drinking water.
What about comparing the quality of Livingcare Jewel’s water versus boiled water? Do they taste different?
The difference is huge – boiling water only kills bacteria, period. It does not remove chlorine, sediment, rust or the harmful contaminants that people worry about. Livingcare’s Jewel Series gives you fresh-tasting water
at selected cold and warm temperatures, so you no longer have to go through the tedious process of boiling water in order to make your teas.
How easy is it to install a Livingcare Jewel into the home?
It is super easy – it only takes less than an hour, a water inlet & outlet and an electrical plug – that’s all! With the dispenser’s auto-cleaning function, homeowners won’t have to spend precious time scrubbing away at a machine to maintain clean water. Furthermore, you can replace the machine filters yourself by simply removing the old filter bottles and slotting in the new ones at the side of the machine.
Investment-wise, how economical is Livingcare Jewel in terms of the initial cost and filter replacements?
It is very worth it as retail price of $2,488 is inclusive of the first three years of water filters. Subsequent filter change costs $240, which works out to around $0.60 a day for the year. We also provide trade-in promotions for older models, where clients can enjoy up to $1,000 off a newer model when they trade-in their old ones. The Jewel motorless dispenser is equipped with an auto- shutdown function, where the machine shuts down after three minutes of inactivity, which leads to huge savings in electrical costs. Its eco-friendly nature consumes no energy while on standby mode, and your electrical bills can go as low as $3 a month.
