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Cost to run an electric shower

Each 8 minutes use of an electric shower drawing 9,000 W costs 31.6p at 26.32p/kWh. Used 2 uses a day of 8 minutes, every day, that comes to £19.21 a month.

Each use costs

31.6p a use

That is 1.20 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £19.21 a month and £230.56 a year.

On the label or in the manual.

Standby, thermostats and off-peak use

Drawn while plugged in and not running.

Electricity price

26.32p/kWh in the United Kingdom

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.
Running cost, energy and emissions by period
PeriodCostEnergyCO2e
A use31.6p1.20 kWh261 g
A day, on average63.2p2.40 kWh522 g
A month£19.2173.0 kWh15.9 kg
A year£230.56876 kWh190 kg

How we calculated this

Energy is power multiplied by time: 9,000 W for 8 minutes uses 1.20 kWh each time.

The starting use for an electric shower, 2 uses a day of 8 minutes, every day, is where the calculator starts, not a measurement of your home: change it to how you use yours. A day is the average across the week, and a month is a twelfth of a 365-day year.

Electricity costs 26.32p/kWh. That is the published figure for the United Kingdom, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, from Ofgem. Average for England, Scotland and Wales, paying by Direct Debit. No VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.

Standing charges are left out: you pay them whether or not the appliance runs.

Emissions use 0.217 kg CO2e per kWh, the lifecycle intensity of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2025, from Ember, via Our World in Data. Lifecycle means building the power stations and supplying their fuel are counted too. It is the grid’s average, not the particular power station an extra appliance brings on.

What drives the cost

An electric shower heats the water as it flows, so it draws 9,000 W for as long as it runs, which makes it one of the highest-power things in a home. A shower of 8 minutes uses 1.20 kWh and costs 31.6p, so a shower a few minutes shorter is a saving you can measure.

Also called: instantaneous shower, shower.

What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US

For an electric shower used as typical (2 uses a day of 8 minutes, every day), at each country’s published average electricity price.

CountryElectricity priceA use
United Kingdom26.32p/kWh31.6p
United States (average)18.19¢/kWh21.8¢
Ireland€0.4042/kWh€0.49
Germany0,3869 €/kWh0,46 €
France0,2561 €/kWh0,31 €
Spain0,2669 €/kWh0,32 €
Italy0,2966 €/kWh0,36 €
Netherlands€ 0,2558/kWh€ 0,31

Compared with similar appliances

ApplianceTypical powerAn hourA year, typical use
Electric shower9,000 W£2.37£230.56
Immersion heater3,000 W79p£576.41
Electric water heater5,000 W£1.32£1,441.02

How to spend less on it

  • Shorter showers are the biggest saving: the cost follows the minutes almost exactly, so a shower a few minutes shorter costs proportionally less.
  • Turn the temperature or the flow down a little: an electric shower heats less water, or heats it less, and draws less.
  • Fit a timer or use a clock in the bathroom, so you notice how long you have been running it.

Questions

How much does an electric shower cost to run per hour?

At 26.32p/kWh, an electric shower drawing 9,000 W costs £2.37 for every hour of running at full power.

How much does an electric shower cost to run a year?

Used 2 uses a day of 8 minutes, every day, it costs about £230.56 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or £19.21 a month.

How much does an electric shower cost per minute?

At 9,000 W and 26.32p/kWh, a shower of 8 minutes costs 31.6p. Every minute costs the same, so a shower twice as long costs twice as much.

Sources

  1. How much electricity am I using?, Centre for Sustainable Energy, July 2026. “Electric shower (9000 W)”

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Electricity

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.

Gas

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.