Electricity usage

Chris_b2z

I would be inclined to do a few further checks before booking a plumber.

First set the Smart meter to send readings at 30 minute intervals if it isn't already. Within a week you should have an accurate view of daily usage via your provider's website or app. Hopefully, the timings will confirm your suspicion but may also reveal other unexpected usage patterns at different times of day when the shower is not used.

Bendo

QrizB said:

Gerry1 said:

Netexporter said:

Gerry1 said:

Get well soon !

Check carefully first - a combi boiler may not be compatible with a power shower.

You won't need a power shower with a combi, as it is mains pressure water.

But will the heat output be beefy enough for a good hot shower, or will it be a lukewarm dribble?  Does a combi work well with a hot tank?

Combis are meant to feed showers directly, which is why they're typically rated at 30+ kW.

My parents currently have a combi and I can testify that the shower is entirely acceptable.

I've always found combi showers go be awful. But that said still far better than anything even the most powerful electric shower puts out.

In my current house, we have a boilermate thermal store and the shower is great.

RedFraggle

But a boilermate system only runs at mains pressure the same as a combi. They do however claim to be able to run two at a time. 

Bendo

RedFraggle said:

But a boilermate system only runs at mains pressure the same as a combi. They do however claim to be able to run two at a time. 

The difference is,  even a high powered combi generally can't keep up and get the temp high enough with a decent flow. We did used to have a storage combi in an old house and it worked a little bit at the start but quickly depleted it's stored water. Although that one did have the benefit of not having to run it for about 3 mins to get some heat.

The boilermate is much maligned but when you understand them they do work surprisingly well.

RedFraggle

Bendo said:

RedFraggle said:

But a boilermate system only runs at mains pressure the same as a combi. They do however claim to be able to run two at a time. 

The difference is,  even a high powered combi generally can't keep up and get the temp high enough with a decent flow. We did used to have a storage combi in an old house and it worked a little bit at the start but quickly depleted it's stored water. Although that one did have the benefit of not having to run it for about 3 mins to get some heat.

The boilermate is much maligned but when you understand them they do work surprisingly well.

Makes sense. Current place has a pulsacoil and you need a harness to keep you in if you turn the shower fully on. 

jennifernil

middlemarch_2 said:

Gerry1 said:

The electric shower must go !

Use water heated by the gas boiler for showering.  Just replace the electric shower with a power shower.  Only the pump would use electricity, and it wouldn't be very much.

Thanks Gerry, I'm interested in this. I didn't realise that the shower could be attached to the hot water in this way. We will have to replace the boiler though but I think this needs doing anyway as it's over 30 years old and doesn't even give us hot water.

How do you get hot water to the kitchen, or to bathroom taps then?

We just replaced a 35 year old boiler, it heated plenty of water for baths, showers etc, via a hot water cylinder.
We have replaced the boiler with one that also heats the water in a HW cylinder in the same way.  With 3 showers in the house, a combi was  no use.  We also like to have the option to heat the water using the immersion  heater should the boiler break down, not that it ever has.   ( Instead, as we have solar panels, we use our excess production to heat some hot water via the immersion. )

Scot_39

Gerry1 said:

Netexporter said:

Gerry1 said:

Get well soon !

Check carefully first - a combi boiler may not be compatible with a power shower.

You won't need a power shower with a combi, as it is mains pressure water.

But will the heat output be beefy enough for a good hot shower, or will it be a lukewarm dribble?  Does a combi work well with a hot tank?

A typical electric shower in UK - ranges from 8.5 to 10.5 kWh - although there are a few outwith those ratings.

A typical combi gas boiler can be well over double that for hot water - 24kW to 40kW peak at just one supplier.

They are deliberately higher rated than heat only or boiler / tank combos.  Most GCH boilers now derate significantly in acutal use for heating.

My iirc 9kW model - struggles in winter - but with current prices - I now probably won't notice as much - as taken to use it on it's reduced power setting this summer.