How much does it cost to run an electric shower?
An electric shower with a typical power of 9,000 watts costs £2.37 an hour at the current price cap.
Uses Ofgem's price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026: 26.32p per kWh, the average for Great Britain when paying by Direct Debit. Prices checked 13 November 2026.
Result
An electric shower (9,000 W) costs £2.37 an hour to run at the price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh.
an hour, to the nearest penny
| A day | £2.37 |
|---|---|
| A week | £16.58 |
| A month | £72.05 |
| A year | £864.61 |
| Electricity used in a year | 3,285 kWh |
That is more electricity than a typical home uses in a year for everything (2,500 kWh).
Show the workings
| Step | Sum | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Turn watts into kilowatts | 9,000 W ÷ 1,000 | 9 kW |
| Cost of one hour | 9 kWh × 26.32p per kWh | £2.37 |
| Cost of one day's use | £2.37 × 1 hours | £2.37 |
| Cost of one week | £2.37 × 7 days | £16.58 |
| Cost of one year | £16.58 ÷ 7 × 365 days | £864.61 |
What this leaves out or assumes
- The standing charge is left out, because you pay it whether or not you use this appliance.
- A month is one twelfth of a year.
- The appliance draws its full power for the whole time it is on.
Where the figures come from
- Electricity unit rate, price cap, Great Britain average, Direct Debit: 26.32p per kWh. Source: Ofgem: Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Typical yearly electricity use, medium user: 2,500 kWh a year. Source: Ofgem: Review of typical domestic consumption values, decision (Table 1). Checked 13 November 2026.
Typical power for an electric shower is from Centre for Sustainable Energy: How much electricity am I using?. Yours may differ: check its rating plate.
Cost by how long it runs
| Running for | Electricity used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0.75 kWh | 19.7p |
| 10 minutes | 1.5 kWh | 39.5p |
| 30 minutes | 4.5 kWh | £1.18 |
| 1 hour | 9 kWh | £2.37 |
| 2 hours | 18 kWh | £4.74 |
| 4 hours | 36 kWh | £9.48 |
| 8 hours | 72 kWh | £18.95 |
| 24 hours | 216 kWh | £56.85 |
Cost over a month and a year
If you used it this much every day:
| Used for | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes a day | £36.03 | £432.31 |
| 1 hour a day | £72.05 | £864.61 |
| 2 hours a day | £144.10 | £1,729 |
| 4 hours a day | £288.20 | £3,458 |
| 8 hours a day | £576.41 | £6,917 |
| All day, every day | £1,729 | £20,751 |
How much electricity does an electric shower use?
An electric shower rated at 9,000 watts uses 9 kWh of electricity for every hour it draws full power. Used for 1 hour every day, that is 3,285 kWh a year, 131% of the 2,500 kWh a typical home uses.
Cost in your region
The price cap is different in each region. Running an electric shower for an hour costs £2.28 in East Midlands, the cheapest region, and £2.51 in Merseyside and Northern Wales, the dearest.
| Region | Price per kWh | Cost for an hour |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 25.36p | £2.28 |
| Eastern England | 26.61p | £2.39 |
| London | 26.60p | £2.39 |
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86p | £2.51 |
| North Eastern England | 25.46p | £2.29 |
| North Western England | 26.49p | £2.38 |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35p | £2.37 |
| South Eastern England | 26.88p | £2.42 |
| South Western England | 26.58p | £2.39 |
| Southern England | 26.47p | £2.38 |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11p | £2.35 |
| Southern Wales | 26.55p | £2.39 |
| West Midlands | 25.60p | £2.30 |
| Yorkshire | 25.60p | £2.30 |
Paying by Direct Debit. Prices for other ways of paying.
How it compares
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour |
|---|---|---|
| Electric shower | 9,000 W | £2.37 |
| Immersion heater | 3,000 W | 79p |
| Electric heater | 2,500 W | 65.8p |
| Oil-filled radiator | 2,000 W | 52.6p |
| Dehumidifier | 500 W | 13.2p |
| Towel rail | 450 W | 11.8p |
| Heating blanket | 150 W | 3.9p |
Running costs of every appliance
Checking your own electric shower
9,000 watts is a typical figure. Yours may be higher or lower. Look for the rating plate on the back or underside, find the number followed by W or kW, and put it in the calculator above.
Typical power is from Centre for Sustainable Energy: How much electricity am I using?, checked 13 November 2026. Prices are from Ofgem: Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges. The costs are our own sums.