A water cooler assembly and/or liquid dispensing apparatus and method for using same, including an energy-saving baffle, which may take the form of a conventional or bottom load water cooler. Additionally, various other, alternative features may be included, such as: a door stop mechanism; an adjustable drip tray assembly; a leak stop mechanism; an adjustable bottle interface accommodating dimensional variations in water bottles; an instaboil feature; and various programmable dispensing and visual display modes.