The best alternative for UV is boiling of water. In principle this seems a relatively simple process and therefore should be an economical method too right? Wrong! Boiling large quantities of water for disinfection is hugely labour intensive and costs a significant amount in energy and therefore money. Once a UV is installed, it requires very little intervention. Overall, in regards to energy consumption and personnel time, UV is approximately 20,000 times more economically efficient than boiling.