Are electric showers expensive to run?

[fitzykev]

Are electric showers expensive to run compared to one heated with gas?

 

[terryplumb]

Yes

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Depends.

 

[winston1]

Electricity is 4 times the cost of gas. Just look at the cost per kWh on your bills.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

...On how you use a shower.

Electric per Kw hour is 3 / 4 times as expensive as gas. Electric showers tend to consume less water and waste less water whilst you run it to get it to temperature. If you pay for metered water, that is an extra cost, besides the kw consumed.

My daily 9.5Kw max. electric shower lasts around 2minutes, at 29p per Kwh, so around 9p for my shower.

I'm a firm believer in have a plan B, and sometimes even a plan C - my electric shower serves as a plan B, should there be a failure in my gas water heating system.

 

[opps]

...On how you use a shower.

Electric per Kw hour is 3 / 4 times as expensive as gas. Electric showers tend to consume less water and waste less water whilst you run it to get it to temperature. If you pay for metered water, that is an extra cost, besides the kw consumed.

My daily 9.5Kw max. electric shower lasts around 2minutes, at 29p per Kwh, so around 9p for my shower.

I'm a firm believer in have a plan B, and sometimes even a plan C - my electric shower serves as a plan B, should there be a failure in my gas water heating system.

Wow, you only spend 2 minutes in the shower?

I am reluctantly considering showering rather than running a full bath each morning. I will miss the bathing though. Far more relaxing.

 

[SUNRAY]

I automatically fit an electric shower in my properties. If nothing else, as Harry says it's a plan B for hot water.

There are numerous threads on here offering conflicting advice however an electric shower IS almost instant and wasted water in minimal. For me a shower is about 2 minutes and owning a rental property with an electric shower and a combi with prepay meters it was very easy to do comparitive tests AT PREPAY PRICES with a Worcester combi. About spring last year so not current prices:
Starting electric from total cold and directing to a bucket took about 3-4 seconds to be warm enough to get under. Filling 2 buckets with water (including warming up) took 2min 15 seconds. =6p
Shower mixer tap took 30 seconds to get hot and best part of 20 seconds to set the temperature, that was a whole bucket then 2 more buckets took 1 min 40 seconds = 7p

An hour or so later did a complete repeat, gas was quicker to regulate temperature so not quite a wasted bucket full =6p, electric =7p

Another hour gas = 6p, electric = 5p. Continuing for a repeat straight away G = 4p, E= 6p.

Totals for 3 showers from cold G = 19p, E=18p. Including the 4th shower G = 23p, E = 24p.

Times for filling were not measured for subsequent tests.

What I didn't think to check was the cost of gas powered shower for 2 mins 10 sec which will have to be more than my readings for 1 min 40 sec.

The resolution on the meters is to 1p so I can't be more accurate than that and hopefully explains variations, however bear in mind the electricity cost for running the boiler is not excluded from the reading for electric shower. On no occasion did it register as a cost but of course usage was metered.

My conclusion? from cold electric makes economical sense for my ablution habits of ~2 minutes, added to that less pollution and less water consumed. Also my own usage at home is a 10.5KW heater but I don't like turning into a lobster and it is extremely rare I use it on high power so my costs will be for a lower powered device, something like 7KW possibly.

Anyone spending longer in the shower (someone on here recently mentioned 20 minutes IIRC), gas appears to be more economical, more polution and more water used.

I haven't had a bath for maybe 20 years.

Additionally I have never understood the idea of heating water then cooling it with cold water in a mixer tap... how silly to waste the gas?

 

[winston1]

Not sure how you are working out your costings. But according to your figures for a short shower costs are similar. Bearing in mind electricity is 4 times the cost of gas you must be using 4 times as much energy with gas. Where does all that energy go?

Electricity of course also causes pollution, it is just not in your back yard.

The cost of water is negligible and can really be discounted.

Mixer taps don't waste gas. When you mix you reduce the flow of hot water and replace it with cold and so reduce gas consumption.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Wow, you only spend 2 minutes in the shower?

Roughly, yes. I mix and match that, with 1, 2 or 3 relaxing baths each week.

 

[JohnW2]

I'm a firm believer in have a plan B, and sometimes even a plan C - my electric shower serves as a plan B, should there be a failure in my gas water heating system.

For what it's worth, same here - and my Plan B has hardly ever had to be invoked

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

Not sure how you are working out your costings. But according to your figures for a short shower costs are similar.

One of the benefits of prepay meters is they display the actual amount of credit stored in them and it really is a simple matter to use ones eyes and read the display, so simple any idiot can do it. not intended to be derogatory

Bearing in mind electricity is 4 times the cost of gas you must be using 4 times as much energy with gas. Where does all that energy go?

It goes into the inefficiency of the whole installation... running a 27KW gas heater for nearly 50% more time then cooling down the excessive heat it produces.

Electricity of course also causes pollution, it is just not in your back yard.

Indeed but I believe it is currently the cleaner option and getting cleaner

The cost of water is negligible and can really be discounted.

The waste of clean drinking water in these times of drought really should not be ignored.

Mixer taps don't waste gas. When you mix you reduce the flow of hot water and replace it with cold and so reduce gas consumption.

Can you please think about that one again and reconsider your error.

 

[JohnW2]

Not sure how you are working out your costings. But according to your figures for a short shower costs are similar. Bearing in mind electricity is 4 times the cost of gas you must be using 4 times as much energy with gas. Where does all that energy go?

I'm not sure about his figures either. However, if there is appreciable hot water pipework involved, "where some of the energy goes" (although I doubt anything like three-quarters of it) is into heating the pipes, and hence house - which, at least in summer, is 'wasted'.

To be fairly pedantic, per recently-announced 'price caps, the ratio is now down to 3.5 times.

 

[SUNRAY]

For what it's worth, same here - and my Plan B has hardly ever had to be invoked

Kind Regards, John

I have to agree but on those rare occasions plan B is very handy.

 

[SUNRAY]

I'm not sure about his figures either. However, if there is appreciable hot water pipework involved, "where some of the energy goes" (although I doubt anything like three-quarters of it) is into heating the pipes, and hence house - which, at least in summer, is 'wasted'.

To be fairly pedantic, per recently-announced 'price caps, the ratio is now down to 3.5 times.

Reading directly off the meter is irrefutable.
I don't have a note of the unit costs at the time.

However running a 27KW gas boiler for approx 40% longer is approx 3.5 times the energy used in a 10.5KW electric heater.
That just happens to be the ratio you quote so generally I find my beliefs to be confirmed.

Now if I were to add the £80 per year required to cover the obligatory gas safety check...

As I've said before, one has to include all the aspects and not just jump on the fuel ratio bandwagon.

 

[JohnW2]

However running a 27KW gas boiler for approx 40% longer is approx 3.5 times the energy used in a 10.5KW electric heater.
That just happens to be the ratio you quote so generally I find my beliefs to be confirmed.

That arithmetic would be correct IF one were comparing a gas boiler running 'continuously flat out' at 27 kW with an electric shower drawing 10.5 kW continuously.

However, is that how your combi behaves when heating water?

Kind Regards, John