Boiler or leccy shower. Which is more efficient?

[cardiffrob]

Had a brief chat with the electrician today w.r.t. our house extension. He wanted to know if we wanted an electric shower in the new bathroom "'cos it's more efficient than running water all the way up from yer boiler, isn't it". It got me thinking, how on earth would you calculate it or is it a foregone conclusion that he was talking tripe? Modern but conventional system with a hot water storage tank in the linen cupboard upstairs.

Any thoughts? Ta.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Logic [well, mine anyway ] dictates that electric would be better - 'heat-on-demand' with no heat loss through pipe run(s) etc. Also, I'd think it'd be more cost effective than heating a tank full.

I still like a bath, although I have a shower also......

 

[Spark plug]

To work it out compare the energy usage of systems, most modern electric showers are 8.5-10.5KW.

If you have a hot water storage system then I would imagine it will be cheaper to use storage system when there's hot water there but it would be more expensive if you have to heat water just for a showe.

 

[julianf]

If you have an oil boiler, and are keeping a tank full of hot water hot anyway, than, yep, your chap is trying to 'sell'.

If youre heating up the whole tank, just for a shower, then that changes things.

If you have a combi boiler (thats powered up for the other taps) then oil will be cheaper.


In fact, for heat energy, oil is cheaper than electricity in most cases.

 

[Fintray]

It really depends if you can also heat the water via an immersion as you don't want to have to run the oil boiler to get only hot water, in summer for instance. Fine heating the water with the oil boiler when you are also heating the house but wasteful otherwise.

 

[daleyd]

Are you on mains gas, lpg or oil? I'd be interested to hear thoughts on this as we may be having an extension done this year with some new bathrooms in (1X downstairs toilet with small shower (Occasional use only), 1 bedroom with en suite which will become the main shower for the house).

 

[brightspark]

if u have a water storage tank for your heating and water a mixer shower will be fine on short pipe run .if its a long run from the tank it isnt as it takes a good while to get hot and stabilise temperature

 

[brightspark]

Electric showers are like standing under a watering can compared with a mixer shower (especially a sealed system with mains pressure hot water)

Couldn't go back to an electric shower

i presume u havent tried a 10.5kw mira sport electric shower then to compare

 

[Rocketman]

Thermostatic shower if you have a gas boiler will be cheapest regardless of heat loss from pipes. Gas is still the cheapest form of heating water.

You should ask your electrician do you think it would be a good idea then to get a electric boiler???

 

[wristpin]

Electric showers are like standing under a watering can compared with a mixer shower (especially a sealed system with mains pressure hot water)

Couldn't go back to an electric shower

Second that, never managed to have a decent shower from an electric unit.

 

[brightspark]

Second that, never managed to have a decent shower from an electric unit.

another one that hasnt got or had a decent 10.5kw shower then cos not many people have by the sounds of it

 

[Rocketman]

another one that hasnt got or had a decent 10.5kw shower then cos not many people have by the sounds of it

But you end up with a hunk of plastic on the wall that costs more than gas to run

 

[brightspark]

a lot of houses cant have a mixer shower on there heating system for one reason or another , another point is some houses have a couple of showers even 3 and couldnt cope with demand thats where electric scores .one on the boiler other of mains electric. each case has to be thought out for best result .

 

[cutter]

Also if your boiler breaks down you can still get a shower and even fill the basin from it speaking from experience and I second brightspark get a good 10.5kw

 

[Rocketman]

Also if your boiler breaks down you can still get a shower and even fill the basin from it speaking from experience and I second brightspark get a good 10.5kw

Not true - you turn the emersion heater on and you still have a shower.

Fact is you can make up as many probabilities as you like but if you have a gas boiler the most energy efficient way to have showers is via the hot water produced by it.

Like I say also a thermostatic shower doesn't leave you with a big hunk of ugly plastic on the wall.

The only down side is that electric showers are generally cheaper to buy than a thermostatic.

 

[Tigman]

The shower to put in is an Aqualisa, it blends the hot and cold to the tempreture set , before it comes out of the Rose, 18 litres a minute lovely , pump in the loft , water comes down the sliderail from the ceiling , cant remember the model but it solves the long runs its the Quartz just googled it nice bit of Kit !

 

[Rocketman]

The shower to put in is an Aqualisa, it blends the hot and cold to the tempreture set , before it comes out of the Rose, 18 litres a minute lovely , pump in the loft , water comes down the sliderail from the ceiling , cant remember the model but it solves the long runs its the Quartz just googled it nice bit of Kit !

It's a thermostatic shower you are talking about. Pumps are optional depending how they are set up.

 

[Tigman]

Yes thermostatic but the pump blends the hot and cold so water is hot or warm when it comes out !

 

[Tigman]

Aqualisa Quartz Digital fully pumped Inteligent Shower !

 

[julianf]

It really depends if you can also heat the water via an immersion as you don't want to have to run the oil boiler to get only hot water, in summer for instance. Fine heating the water with the oil boiler when you are also heating the house but wasteful otherwise.

Im really not sure youre right on that one?

This one is from a quick google search (there are plenty more with more or less the same figures though) -

Now i assume you dont always take your shower between 7pm and 7am? But, even if you do, youre still looking at a couple of pennies more per kwh, vs about 2.5x the cost if you take your shower before 7pm or after 7am.


We use none of the above, so i like to keep an eye on how much my effort saves us ; )

(and we have a shower that you certainly dont want to open your eyes under!)