Can I Use a Home Keurig Brewer in an Office?

Keurig manufactures single cup coffee brewers for both commercial and home use. These coffee brewers are designed and produced with all of the appropriate safety standards needed for their individual use. Keurig products undergo vigorous testing by Underwriters Laboratory, Inc. (UL) with the intention of receiving specific, UL approval for either commercial or household use.

The two most common approval ratings that UL provides for Keurig coffee makers are "UL Approved for Commercial Use" and "UL Approved for Household Use".

If you intend on utilizing a Keurig Coffee Brewer for anything other than your household, it is strongly recommended that companies use "UL Approved for Commercial Use" coffee brewing equipment — not "Household Use" Keurig brewer products.

Keurig commercial grade brewers are engineered to stand up to the toughest demands of commercial/office use and will naturally undergo higher cyclical usage. Commercial grade brewers generally brew about 10 times the volume of a typical household use brewer. Therefore, commercial rated appliances must be able to accommodate the broad range of electrical service environments that can be experienced in commercial buildings.

For example, power spikes from use of other equipment in a building can subject an appliance such as a coffee brewer to high voltage spikes. Thus, commercially rated appliances must be tested to ensure that they can withstand such voltage surges.

Household approved coffee makers, however, are not designed to accommodate a wide range of electrical environments because the average home setting is relatively stable.

Due to the differences in intended use and design between brewers that are "UL Approved for Commercial Use" and Keurig brewers that are "UL Approved for Household Use", Keurig does not honor warranties on products used outside of the UL authorized certification. For example, if a household uses a product certified for a commercial setting it is not covered under the warranty.

For the same reason, the insurance industry also recognizes the difference in products intended for use in a commerical setting and those intended for use in a home. If you knowingly use a product specifically intended for the home in an office or commercial environment, you may be liable.

The solution is simple: if you are brewing single cup coffee using a Keurig Coffee Brewing System in an office setting please use a UL Commercial Rated Keurig brewer.