Electric showers are often blamed for draining household budgets in the cost of living crisis, but recent research has shown they may not deserve the floods of criticism they often get on social media.
In fact, the report by consumer group Which? has washed away the argument that electric showers are too expensive to use by revealing that they can be cheaper than either of the alternatives if used correctly.
Lab tests carried out by Which? measured water flow rate and energy efficiency of electric, mixer and power shower and found that electric showers could actually save you money in the bathroom every day. And with Northumbrian Water's bills set to rise by 7.5% or an average of £29 a year from April, saving water as well as energy is important.
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There are three main types of shower and the type you chose could have a big bearing on how much you pay to keep clean:
Electric showers
Many households ditched using their electric showers as the price of energy rose, with money-saving social media sites often repeating horror stories of the cost of running them. But Which? found electric showers had a lot to recommend them. You don't need a hot water supply for an electric shower, as it only heats the water you use, meaning no energy will be wasted heating a whole tank. They generally have a lower flow rate, typically around four to five litres of warm water a minute. Due to this, an electric shower is generally a better option if you're looking to save on water and energy.
Estimated annual cost (one 10-minute shower a day): Around £289, according to the Anglian water usage calculator.
Mixer showers
You need access to a hot and cold water supply for a mixer shower, so they are not always possible to fit. But as mixer can use anywhere between five litres a minute to an astonishing 30 litres a minute, you might be glad you haven't got one. Anglian water's usage calculator doesn't account for mixers, but it does show that running it on the lower end every day for the entire year can cost around £289. And considering a mixer can use around double the amount of water a power shower uses, you could be spending more than £660 for showering every day of the year.
Estimated annual cost (one 10-minute shower a day): From £289 to £660, depending on flow rate.
Power showers
Similar to mixer showers, power showers combine water from the hot and cold water supply to reach your desired temperature but deliver a stronger flow, around 14 litres a minute.
Estimated annual cost (one 10-minute shower a day): Around £336.
The power output is important to consider if you choose an electric shower. You could cut your costs even further by opting for a lower wattage, which would bring the cost of your 10-minute daily shower down to between £164 and £185 if you opt for a 9kW model or around £160 each year for a 8.5kW mode. But according to Which?, it's not simply a case of opting for a shower with a lower wattage to save money.
"Higher-powered showers are more expensive as they use more water, but they also offer a more robust water flow and with more substantial pressure you may not need to be in the shower for as long washing off soap," the report said. "So depending on your shower habits, you may use less water and energy by having a more powerful shower and reducing your showering time."
The consumer champion also cautioned against assuming eco mode can save you money, as its tests found that while most 9kW showers dropped to around £84 for a 10-minute daily shower each year in eco mode, one model had an eco mode that costs around £50 more than similarly powered showers using the same setting.
Regardless of which type of shower you have, you can still keep your costs down by following these four steps:
- Reduce shower time to five minutes: You could save around £50 a year if you take five minutes less to shower.
- Fix water leaks: Wasted water can add up and even a slow-dripping shower head can make an impact on your bills if it's not sorted.
- Clean the shower head: Limescale can clog up your shower head, meaning the flow won’t be as strong and you're much more likely to need more water to shower with. Make sure to clean yours regularly to reduce the impact of limescale.
- Switch to eco or low mode: Although it leaves you with a weaker water flow, the amount you can save is staggering.
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