A method for handling bottles in a bottle washing system on the way to filling, wherein the bottles are rinsed with fresh water after cleaning, wherein the bottles pass through the bottle washing system from a prewash in the direction of a main wash and rinsing, wherein during cooling and rinsing of warm, cleaned bottles, the temperature of the bottles and the temperature of the air in the bottles is reduced after the rinsing process, in such a way that at least one further cooling and a condensation of water vapour in the bottles and a volume reduction of the air by cooling and thus a re-contamination with germs flowing in with the air into the bottles is largely prevented, wherein the fresh water is guided in the counterflow through the bottle washing system, wherein the fresh water becomes rinsing and washing water, that the inflowing fresh water to the bottle washing system is cooled to such an extent that the temperature of the bottles and the temperature of the air in the bottles is reduced after the rinsing process, in such a way that at least one further cooling and a condensation of water vapour in the bottles and a volume reduction of the air by cooling and thus a re-contamination by the germs flowing in with the air into the bottles is largely prevented, that the cooling of the fresh water by heat extraction is achieved with a cooling unit and the energy extracted from the fresh water flow after the rinsing process in the bottle washing system is fed back on the energy output side of the cooling unit at a higher temperature level by heating of the rinsing water, characterised in that the rinsing water is heated in a heat exchanger by the energy of the waste water flow and then the energy extracted previously by the evaporator of a heat pump is again fed into a condenser of a heat pump at a higher temperature level, that the rinsing water, before it comes into heat-transferring contact with the waste water flow, is conveyed through an evaporator of a heat pump, is thereby cooled and thus increases the amount of heat to be extracted from the waste water flow and again takes over the previously emitted heat after the intake of the heat from the waste water flow at a higher temperature level in the condenser of the heat pump. that the inflowing fresh water to the bottle washing system is cooled to such an extent that the temperature of the bottles and the temperature of the air in the bottles is reduced after the rinsing process, in such a way that at least one further cooling and a condensation of water vapour in the bottles and a volume reduction of the air by cooling and thus a re-contamination by the germs flowing in with the air into the bottles is largely prevented, that the cooling of the fresh water by heat extraction is achieved with a cooling unit and the energy extracted from the fresh water flow after the rinsing process in the bottle washing system is fed back on the energy output side of the cooling unit at a higher temperature level by heating of the rinsing water, characterised in that the rinsing water is heated in a heat exchanger by the energy of the waste water flow and then the energy extracted previously by the evaporator of a heat pump is again fed into a condenser of a heat pump at a higher temperature level, that the rinsing water, before it comes into heat-transferring contact with the waste water flow, is conveyed through an evaporator of a heat pump, is thereby cooled and thus increases the amount of heat to be extracted from the waste water flow and again takes over the previously emitted heat after the intake of the heat from the waste water flow at a higher temperature level in the condenser of the heat pump.