Electric or Mixer shower

kyleporter

Im buying a house that currently doesnt have a shower but has a modern valliant combi boiler.

What do you think would be more cost effective to install.

Where the bath is located the is a cupboard directly behind so i could hide the pipes in the cupboard and hot and cold feeds could just be run from the taps at the bath.

Electric shower would need wired which would require the wires to be hidden which may prove costly?

mildred1978

kyleporter wrote: »

Im buying a house that currently doesnt have a shower but has a modern valliant combi boiler.

What do you think would be more cost effective to install.

Where the bath is located the is a cupboard directly behind so i could hide the pipes in the cupboard and hot and cold feeds could just be run from the taps at the bath.

Electric shower would need wired which would require the wires to be hidden which may prove costly?

But an electric shower would provide hot water should your heating ever break down

We have 1 mixer shower which was in when we bought the house. We've since fitted 2 high powered electric showers to ensure we'll have hot water for washing (if nothing else) should the central heating have issues.

rustyboy21

If you are looking at havingthe shower over the bath, the simplest way, would be to fit a thermo controlled mixer/shower tap. You won't have to worry about any pipework or electrics then. It is just changing the taps on the bath.

They are the same types you find in hotels all around the world.

example

http://www.heatandplumb.com/acatalog/Duchy_Reef_Pillar_Mounted_Thermostatic_Bath_Shower_Mixer_with_Shower_Kit.html?utm_source=ProductSearch&utm_medium=GoogleBase

Ben84

There's also the long term running costs. About 75% of our electric bill is the electric shower (used about 5-7 minutes a day each by four people), as discovered when it broke for a few weeks and the electric bill which I track weekly by meter readings dropped dramatically and stayed there until it was fixed.

macman

You must have very low electricity consumption. Even a 10kW shower used for 28 mins a day would only cost about 52p per day on standard rate (about 4.6kWh at 12p per kWh). Around £16pm?

Ben84

macman wrote: »

You must have very low electricity consumption. Even a 10kW shower used for 28 mins a day would only cost about 52p per day on standard rate (about 4.6kWh at 12p per kWh). Around £16pm?

A fair point, for a house with four people our electric use is probably below average. I forget that many people use more electricity than we do as I try to do as much as possible with gas as it's cheaper and less polluting for the environment. We have gas for heating, hot water, cooker and hob. No dishwasher and the washing machine is old and fills up with hot water from the gas boiler so actually washing clothes uses very little electricity. Our electrical appliances other than the shower are either fairly low wattage (table lamps with 60w bulbs, laptop computers, etc) or high wattage and used for limited amounts of time (kettle, food mixer and vacuum cleaner for example). We have a small TV, only use an under counter fridge rather than a giant one and no tumble drier. So, gas delivers the huge majority of the energy we use.

SailorSam

I've been having a lot of trouble with my Central Heating and just waited almost 3mths for a new boiler. Thank God we've an electric shower.

Pont

Isn't there a problem with water pressure/mixer showers and combi boilers? Eg. When somebody's using the shower the water pressure drops in the kitchen etc. (don't shoot the messenger - just what I've heard). Not an expert, obviously!, but don't you need to know if your combi boiler will 'manage' what you want it to do iyswim before you decide?

But... we've had electricity disruption here for the last two winters (so no shower if electric), never had a problem with gas supply in the last 30+ years. Also gas is still cheaper than electricity (at least in my house that's the case).

Pros and cons for both ;-0

grizzly1911

Gas - cheaper (for now) £/kwh

Electric is useful as a backup, but for a decent output 9.5Kw required or £1.20 hour. less in the summer on the "eco" lower heat setting.

Cost of heavy duty cabling and possible consumer unit upgrade needs factoring in. Price of decent looking electric showers isn't cheap and they do fail prematurely, it is often cheaper to swap out than even consider repair.

We have both and the adult sized offspring use the electric one. electric consumption drop was noticeable when one went to uni. Drop should be eeven more hen DD goes too.;)

Pont

I'm with you grizzly! Maybe I'm biased because I have 2 daughters who like to spend eons of time showering! Cost me a fortune when I had an electic shower - isn't a whole lot better now because I still can't get in the bathroom, but is slightly (!) cheaper to run!

When I upgraded my bathroom recently I initially bought a 10kw Mira electic shower. When I factured in the cost of the plumbing and the extra electical work (cabling) I back tracked quickly. I now have a wonderful, gas mains, shower no complaints. But... I have a condensing boiler not a combi as the op has stated. Personally, depending on the size of the property, I would change the boiler!

OK - I have yet to be convinced that a combi boiler is the best system - wouldn't work for me. Although it works well for my parents in a 2 bed bunglow - so I guess horses for courses.

macman

A combi is a condensing boiler (at least, all ones fitted in the last few years will be).