Will all homes soon use electric showers?

Electric showers have become a common sight in bathrooms across the UK, but are they for everyone?

Pros of electric showers

Electric showers have lots of advantages:

You can have a hot shower even if the heating breaks down.

Electric showers are easy to install. They use the same copper pipe fittings and fixtures as ordinary showers, and these are easily available from stockists such as watkinspowis.co.uk/products/copper-pipe-fittings-and-press-systems. If you’re confident with DIY, you may even be able to fit an electric shower yourself.

There’s no limit on how much hot water you can store, so there’s no chance of it running out during busy periods.

Probably the biggest benefit of electric showers is that they’re very energy efficient. They only heat water when they’re being used, meaning you could cut down your water heating bills. With energy prices due to rise by an average of £94 in Spring 2024 according to The Times, this could be a positive step towards saving money.

Cons of electric showers

Before you decide that an electric shower is right for your home, there are a few disadvantages to keep in mind:

Electric showers have a limited lifespan, so you may have to factor in the cost of replacing them.

Electric showers can’t always provide the same water pressure so rainfall settings might feel a bit more like a trickle.

Can anyone have an electric shower?

Bear in mind that not all homes will be equipped to have an electric shower installed. It depends on the system you have in place but, in general, you’ll need to have a water pressure of at least 1 bar.

Image credit

Should you get an electric shower?

If you’re planning a bathroom refurb or an extension, now could be the perfect time to switch to an electric shower.