combi boiler or electric shower

jatt

Hi everybody,

I have recently moved into my first house and is facing a dilemma re the hot water issues.

Its a detached 3 bed house with 8 radiators and very old boiler 1970s
It works well but takes a while to heat up water for shower and I am thinking of doing something about it.

The cheaper option is to have electric shower for £550 all fitted or replace boiler with combi for £1700-2000 approx but I think I will need to change boiler eventually for central heating in winter.

1) Can somebody please advice me should I go for electric shower or straight away get a combi which will sort out shower as well?

2) Is combi boiler cheaper to run for shower purposes than electric shower?

3) Would anybody suggest having both?

Thanks in advance.

Gangstabird

Go for the combi, if you are in the Essex area, my husband is a dab hand at this.

Gangstabird

If that is not what you want to hear. Go for thermostatic taps, as long as you have a reasonable pressure, they will give you a power shower.

Andy_Hamilton

I moved into a newbuild property with combi and thermostatic shower (currently £150 in B&Q) and it is a powershower! Normal showers drop the pressure as it has to heat the water.

It costs around 1/3 to heat water by gas compared to electricity. My gas bill is £20 per month for a condensing boiler in 3 bed house having 2 showers per day and normal heating and washing etc.
I have water tank in a cupboard and I was worried about this wasting heat but hot water is kept hot for at least 2 days.

jatt

Thanks for all ur answers

Which combi boiler is best and what features to look for when buying one?

Thanks

Mojisola

We've had our old boiler replaced with a modern one but are still keeping the electric shower. If your boiler breaks down, you still have the shower working; if the shower breaks down, you still have hot water in the taps for washing.

liitleblackcat

We rented a house while ours was being done up about 12 months ago and that had a Worcester Bosch combi. It was superb for heating, baths and showers. Don't know what the model number was but take a look at this thread for some possibilities

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=885481

phill99

Bear in mind that Showers off Combi Boilers have limitations. If you are in the shower and someone else runs another tap (in the kitchen for example), there is a drop in pressure and you have a cold shoer until the other tap is turned off. My sisiter went for a combi boiler with shower and she has three children. If one of them wants to use the shower, they have to put out and All Points Bulletin to tell everyone else so that no one runs the other taps while the shower is being used. If you have a large family or plan to have one, an electric shower might be a better option as this can be used without drop of pressure if someone else turns on other taps. It also means you can still shower if the Combi goes wonky. If you also have a shower mixer tap in the bath, then you can still shower even if the elect shower goes wonky. Low cost decisions now are not necessarily the best in the long run.

Canucklehead

phill99 wrote: »

Bear in mind that Showers off Combi Boilers have limitations. If you are in the shower and someone else runs another tap (in the kitchen for example), there is a drop in pressure and you have a cold shoer until the other tap is turned off. My sisiter went for a combi boiler with shower and she has three children. If one of them wants to use the shower, they have to put out and All Points Bulletin to tell everyone else so that no one runs the other taps while the shower is being used. If you have a large family or plan to have one, an electric shower might be a better option as this can be used without drop of pressure if someone else turns on other taps. It also means you can still shower if the Combi goes wonky. If you also have a shower mixer tap in the bath, then you can still shower even if the elect shower goes wonky. Low cost decisions now are not necessarily the best in the long run.

Good evening: Combi boilers are an excellent, money saving option if you have good mains pressure, a product with a decent flow rate eg. at least 30kw DHW. and have limited space or want to free up space in your property. I rate this Alpha system highly as it deals with the majority of 'issues' associated with combination boilers.
A thermostatic shower mixer/bath-shower mixer will protect a showerer from scalding hot and icy cold water.

BTW just out of interest what boiler (make and model) does your sister have, phill99?

HTH

Canucklehead

jatt

Thanks everybody

phill99

Canucklehead wrote: »

Good evening: Combi boilers are an excellent, money saving option if you have good mains pressure, a product with a decent flow rate eg. at least 30kw DHW. and have limited space or want to free up space in your property. I rate this Alpha system highly as it deals with the majority of 'issues' associated with combination boilers.
A thermostatic shower mixer/bath-shower mixer will protect a showerer from scalding hot and icy cold water.

BTW just out of interest what boiler (make and model) does your sister have, phill99?

HTH

Canucklehead

I'm not sure - she lives in York and I'm in Essex. Its been in over 10 years though.