How much does an electric shower cost to run?
What an electric shower costs to run: typical 8500 W, about $174 a year. Adjust the figures to your own usage and electricity price.
Your Electric shower running cost
Costs about
/ month
- Per day
- Per year
- Energy per day
Change the hours and price to match your case.
Typical wattage
| Low | 7000 W |
|---|---|
| Typical | 8500 W |
| High | 10800 W |
| Typical use | 0.33 h/day |
An electric shower is one of the most powerful appliances in the whole home, drawing 7,000 to 10,800 watts — several times a kettle — because it heats water instantly as it flows rather than storing it. That enormous wattage sounds frightening, but a shower lasts only minutes, so the cost per shower is moderate. It is the combination of very high power and daily use across a household that makes it worth understanding.
Because the power is fixed by the unit and the water it heats, the only real lever is time: a shorter shower directly and proportionally cuts the cost. A 9,000 W shower uses 0.15 kWh per minute, so trimming a ten-minute shower to five halves its cost. For a household of several people showering daily, those minutes add up to a real yearly figure. Enter your shower's power (on its rating plate, often in kW) and the total daily shower time above to see the cost, and compare a long shower against a short one.
It is worth knowing that an electric shower and a stored-tank hot-water system solve the same problem in different ways: the shower heats on demand with huge instantaneous power but no standing losses, while a tank stores heat and loses some of it while waiting. Which is cheaper for you depends on your usage pattern and tariff far more than on the headline wattage.
Many electric showers have a winter/summer power selector, letting you drop to a lower setting when the incoming cold water is already warmer in summer and needs less heating to reach a comfortable temperature. Left on the winter (highest) setting year-round, the unit works harder than it needs to for months at a time — checking that switch each season is a free adjustment that directly reduces the wattage the calculator above should use.
How to cut electric shower running costs
- Shorter showers are the direct saving — the power is fixed, so time is everything.
- A lower flow or eco setting heats less water per minute and cuts the cost.
- A shower timer or a favourite short playlist helps keep showers brief.
- Fix a dripping or slow shower so you're not running it longer than needed.
- Avoid running the shower at the same time as other very high-power appliances.
Frequently asked questions
Why is an electric shower rated so high?
It heats water instantly as it flows, which needs enormous power — 7–11 kW is normal. But it runs only for the minutes you shower, so the cost per shower is moderate despite the huge wattage.
How much does an electric shower cost per use?
A 9,000 W shower uses 0.15 kWh a minute, so a five-minute shower costs about 13 cents at $0.17/kWh, and a ten-minute one double that. Shorter showers are the direct saving.
How can I cut the cost of an electric shower?
Shorten showers and use a lower flow or eco setting. Because the power is fixed by the unit, the only real lever you control is how long the water runs.