Cheaper to use kettle and electric shower instead of immersion???

HappyMJ

annoye wrote: »

so if i read this correctly... the cost of the water used, will be exactly the same, using an immersion heater, than it would be using a kettle and a shower....... but, the immersion heater will lose 1-2kw a day on average..... so the immersion heater will be dearer to RUN (not counting installation) than just using a kettle and shower.... and it wouldnt matter how long was spent in the shower, if it was an equal amount of water used in both scenarios, it would still cost the same??

so that means that it will be cheaper to use a kettle and electric shower, as oppose to using an immersion heater??

Yes....but...in winter the lost heat from the cylinder heats your house which if you use a kettle and an electric shower you would need to run the heating just a little longer to maintain a minimum level of heat in the property. So it makes very little if any difference. You need to keep those pipes just above freezing at all times of the year and that tiny amount of lost heat is enough to keep those pipes in the airing cupboard warm enough.

At this time of year when it's so warm the lost heat needs to be vented outside then it's cheaper using the shower and kettle.

I don't understand why you need 3 hours running the immersion heater to get a full cylinder of hot water. You could try opening it up and turning the temperature down a little so it cuts out a little earlier. If your immersion heater switch has a boost function that button usually operates it for one hour and that should be enough for a few sinks full of hot water.

You can cut the losses down by only operating the immersion the hour before you use the water....so if you are cooking dinner press the button before you start cook then eat then wash up straight away and have a bath in the remaining hot water. There'll be no heat losses as you've used all the water.

Nada666

You have no guarantee the electric shower will be of a decent quality. A mixer shower is preferable most of the time. If even it costs a few more pennies to run if it delivers a better quality experience in the shower it is preferable.

If the mixer turns out to be rubbish then you can gamble electric. But don't gamble throwing away quality for a few pence.

If you really want to save money use neither - just fill a basin from a kettle then use a jug and face flannel to pour the water over you in the bath. One cup to wet and lather, two cups to rinse.

Andy_WSM

annoye wrote: »

so that means that it will be cheaper to use a kettle and electric shower, as oppose to using an immersion heater?? Due to the immersion heater losing 1-2kw of heat a day

Only if you completely ignore the capital cost, then ongoing maintenance of an electric shower.

You are expecting your landlord to spend hundreds of £s fitting an electric shower, so that you can save, what 25p per day?

If I was your landlord I'd be politely telling you how to terminate your contract.

Cardew

annoye wrote: »

so that means that it will be cheaper to use a kettle and electric shower, as oppose to using an immersion heater?? Due to the immersion heater losing 1-2kw of heat a day

Correct, - well actually it is the HW tank that loses the heat(kWh)

Don't forget for much of the year the heat loss from the tank will warm the fabric of the house so it isn't a loss.

Your original post asked if it would be much cheaper to have electric shower and boil up kettles of water as required - and it ain't.

But hey if you want to justify your choice - yes it will save you thousands of pounds a day;)

annoye

HappyMJ wrote: »

Yes....but...in winter the lost heat from the cylinder heats your house which if you use a kettle and an electric shower you would need to run the heating just a little longer to maintain a minimum level of heat in the property. So it makes very little if any difference. You need to keep those pipes just above freezing at all times of the year and that tiny amount of lost heat is enough to keep those pipes in the airing cupboard warm enough.

At this time of year when it's so warm the lost heat needs to be vented outside then it's cheaper using the shower and kettle.

I don't understand why you need 3 hours running the immersion heater to get a full cylinder of hot water. You could try opening it up and turning the temperature down a little so it cuts out a little earlier. If your immersion heater switch has a boost function that button usually operates it for one hour and that should be enough for a few sinks full of hot water.

You can cut the losses down by only operating the immersion the hour before you use the water....so if you are cooking dinner press the button before you start cook then eat then wash up straight away and have a bath in the remaining hot water. There'll be no heat losses as you've used all the water.

hi sorry, the 3 hours to get a full tank was just taken from other posts on which people would say it takes 2-3hours to heat the tank from cold. I have no actual idea of how long a tank would take to heat up... ive never lived with an immersion only system, i just know people say how dear it is and to avoid at all costs... unless it can be ran on economy 7... I live in a shared house at the moment so all bills get paid by the landlord,he would moan if i put the immersion on when the gas boiler would break and say its costing him a fortune... but now im moving into a flat, my outgoings are going to double.... i just want it to be as less of an increase as possible. So if its going to cost me double or triple to use immersion, then it seemed pointless doing so. But judging from the repsonses it seems that realisticly its only going to be about 10quid a month dearer to use the immersion?

fannyadams

if it helps I have my timer set to heat the water in the immesion to 70°C for one hour per day (on E7 around 5am, but that's an aside).
This is plenty hot enough to wash up, wash myself, clean the children (who can easily have a 5 minute shower even when they've rolled around in the mud), and do all the other myriad of things that need hot water for washing.
My advice is get a shower timer and see if you can shower in less time OR take fewer showers twice a day is excessive unless you work down a mine, are a booth sprayer, powder coater or sand blaster).

annoye

Andy_WSM wrote: »

Only if you completely ignore the capital cost, then ongoing maintenance of an electric shower.

You are expecting your landlord to spend hundreds of £s fitting an electric shower, so that you can save, what 25p per day?

If I was your landlord I'd be politely telling you how to terminate your contract.

lol it'll cost him 50ish for a shower, and 10er to get it connected up to the mains... if the immersion heater goes wrong and theres no hot water, the shower atleast gives me hot water to live on, until he could come and investigate the situation...as oppose to forking out a call out charge and extra labour cost to get someone in to repair the job next day as he wouldnt be able to do it that soon....

annoye

fannyadams wrote: »

if it helps I have my timer set to heat the water in the immesion to 70°C for one hour per day (on E7 around 5am, but that's an aside).
This is plenty hot enough to wash up, wash myself, clean the children (who can easily have a 5 minute shower even when they've rolled around in the mud), and do all the other myriad of things that need hot water for washing.
My advice is get a shower timer and see if you can shower in less time OR take fewer showers twice a day is excessive unless you work down a mine, are a booth sprayer, powder coater or sand blaster).

thanks,so if it only heats up for one hour in the morning... it is still hot enough to wash up with or shower with around 13-14 hours later??

I'm an engineer working in oil 12 hours a day so need two showers

McKneff

If you shower when you get home from work, why on earth do you need to shower again before going to work next morning.


Once a day is enough for any job I would say,

macman

If he can really find a 'person' (I won't dignify them with the term 'sparky') to wire, connect and test a dedicated shower circuit for a tenner, then that would be one shower that I wouldn't want to venture anywhere near.
The RCD alone could cost more than the budget you have suggested, so you clearly have no idea what is involved. A realistic budget would be around £300 using a budget shower. Plus the cost of til.ing, shower curtain etc. as required.
If the hot tank is properly insulated it will stay warm for hours; if it isn't then a tank jacket is about a tenner.