Electric or thermostatic shower???

[Gert_Lush]

I'm about to install a new shower in our bathroom. I have an electric shower (10.5kW) and a regular thermostatic mixer shower at my disposal. In terms of cost effectiveness, which is better to install? I'm thnking that if i install the thermostatic, i will be using hot water from the hot water cylinder, heated from the conventional boiler (gas), but the electric shower obviously uses electricty to heat the water - so pint for pint, which is the cheaper option!!?
I'm assuming that the pressure for the two will be roughly equal.

 

[slippyr4]

I'm sure you didn't need to post this 4 times; I'll reply only once though.

Gas is a whole lot cheaper than electricity. In round terms, electricity it 6.5p/KWh whereas gas is 1.8 p/KWh. So approx 1/4 of the cost.

However, your electric shower will be almost 100% efficient. But your gas heated HW won't be - there are losses in the boiler (flue), the pipework (heat escaping) and in the HW cylinder (heat escaping).

It's hard to predict the overall efficiency of the gas heated water; but it'll be a lot higher than 25%, so, gas is very likely to be the cheaper option.

Not to mention the fact that wall mounted electric showers are fugly.

 

[Gert_Lush]

Computer egit... i thought i had posted it but couldn't find it, so kept on posting. Then realised i was actually looking at a slightly different page... hence, half a dozen postings!

As for the info, cheers. Gas is it then - i'll install the electric shower in the 'guests' bathroom!!

Thanks again.

 

[Paul Barker]

You might need a pump, or fit a pumped thermostatic mixer shower.

 

[Gert_Lush]

Can i run it off mains pressure for cold, and hot water tank for hot - that will give me ample pressure won't it?

 

[Paul Barker]

Only if it's designed that way. Check the instructions.

 

[Gert_Lush]

Cheers Paul - i'm check it out.