Best Power Showers 2024

If your morning shower is something of a let down, more of a drizzle than a shower. And if the water temperature fluctuates between ice cold and red hot, you probably need a power shower. The problem with houses with low water pressure, is a lack of power coming through the taps.

This is often a problem that can’t be solved without spending an absolute fortune on replacement pipes, along with all the upheaval and mess that comes with it. Older properties with iron pipework are most vulnerable to low water pressure. As the iron pipes rust internally, rust and iron break off and start to snag in narrow areas.

This leads to blockages, usually not enough to cut the water supply, but enough to restrict the flow. The lower the water flow, the more disappointing your morning shower will be. Or even worse, your property could have a small water main which leads to even more mess and expense.

The solution in some cases could be as drastic as a whole new plumbing system, moving home, or suffering in silence(not so easy when you’re getting frozen one minute and burnt the next). 

Or you could just buy a power shower, this of course, creates more problems, which type of power shower to buy? What to look for in power showers? Are power showers all the same? How do you fit a power shower?

All really good questions, and if you’re being honest, unless you are a professional plumber, you’re not going to know the answers to these questions. No problem, stop worrying and read on, we’ve compiled all you need to know about the best type of power shower for you.

Once you’ve finished reading this guide, you’ll be armed with all you need to know to get a great, powerful, even temperature, refreshing morning shower. And you’ll be starting your day relaxed and ready to face whatever the day brings your way.

Best Selling Power Showers

Power Shower Vs Electric Shower

So once you’ve realised you need help in the shower department, you then have to work out which type of shower is best for your situation. There are 2 types of electrical shower, and at first glance they both look very similar. So let’s look at both types to see what the differences are, and also to help you make the right choice.

How Do Electric Showers Work

If you have a small hot water cylinder, or if the bathroom is like a train station at rush hour, an electric shower could be the answer. Because electric showers take all of their water direct from the cold water feed, and heat it internally as you shower. So even if the hot water has been depleted, you will still get a hot shower.

So just to clarify things, an electric shower uses cold water from the mains and heats it up as it passes through the unit, on its way to your shower. This makes it perfect for high hot water usage and a small hot water cylinder because that is all by-passed. Even if there is no hot water, an electric shower unit will still produce a hot shower(as long as there is electricity).

That’s it in a nutshell, but there’s still the problem of the water flow, if you have low water pressure for whatever reason, you’ll still have it. So that drizzle will still be a drizzle, but at least it will be a warm drizzle.

How Do Power Showers Work

Power showers combine water from both hot and cold water supplies to create the temperature you require and most have a thermostat control for safety. Best suited for low pressure gravity fed water systems that have no shortage of hot water from the hot water storage cylinder. They also have a pump which increases water pressure and flow to give you the perfect powerful shower you deserve.

There are 2 types of power shower, some have internal pumps within the unit or there is a separate pump unit fitted somewhere in the system. Both types require a non pressurised system, with enough water stored in the water tank to feed the system.

So power showers use both hot and cold water feeds and pump the water to increase the pressure from a drizzle to a blast. Power showers and electric showers look similar but work in different ways to produce hot water for your shower.

What Are The Benefits Of Power Showers

The benefits of power showers should be becoming clearer to you if you’ve read this far, but let’s set them out for clarity. First and foremost is power, a power shower takes low pressure water and turns it into a jet powered water blast. They are thermostatically controlled giving you full control over the desired temperature of your shower.

No more freezing one minute and boiling the next, just a constant flow of temperate water, with the power you need to refresh you for the day ahead.Compared to electric showers, power showers have a flow rate of around 15 litres a minute whereas electric showers flow rate is around 6-10 litres a minute. 

What Are The Disadvantages Of Power Showers

Using the same comparison of electric showers to power showers, the power shower is more expensive to run, a 10 minute shower in an electric shower will cost an average of 15p Whereas the same shower in a power shower will cost anywhere between 23p-46p depending on how you heat your hot water supply. 

Some of the cheaper models can be quite noisy, it’s worth paying slightly more for a quiet pump. So either you save money and have a less invigorating shower, or you splash out and shower in style.

Power Shower  Buyers Guide

Here are the main features to take into consideration before buying a power shower. Take your time and look at as many units as possible before you take the plunge, because you will be using your power shower for a long time, and it’s good to get the right one for your requirements.

Design

This might seem a bit shallow but as there are many designs of power shower available, look for the design you will be happy to use and look at on a daily basis. Remember, it’s probably the first thing you’ll see every morning and the way you start the day has a large impact on how you see things all day.

Ease Of Use

This could have gone in with design really, but how easy the control panel is will also affect your day to day usage. So it’s worth doing your homework and getting the one that suits you best. Does it have easy to grip controls, is it push button operated etc…

Temperature Control

An absolute must, all power showers will have temperature control, but do you prefer manual, or digital? Some of the LED display units can look a bit cheap and tacky, it doesn’t affect how they work but you might get fed up with the look over time. Some have thermostatic temperature controls that are preset before you turn the unit on, giving you complete control and it means you’ll never again suffer from too hot or too cold shower water.

Flow Rate

This is how much water runs through the power shower per minute. The higher the flow rate the more powerful the shower water pressure through the shower head. The average flow rate for power showers is around 15 litres per minute, but some models have a flow rate of 18 litres per minute, and others 14 litres a minute.

Brand

It is always best to buy from an established company, a brand with a reputable name in the industry. Not only will they have better products and probably offer a longer warranty, but will also have a good customer service department if you do run into any problems.

Warranty

These are only as good as the company that issues them, this is why it is so important to buy your power shower from a well established, well known and recommended company.

Durability

The longevity of your power shower is important, you need a qualified electrician to fit one, so you don’t want to have to replace it in a hurry. This is why using time tested and trusted brands is important.

Power

As with all things electrical, it’s all about the power. The higher the wattage on your power shower, the more powerful and hotter your shower will be.

Shower Head

The unit you buy will come with a shower head, but you might prefer a different type of shower head. These are easy to install and come in a variety of designs. There are round, square, rainfall, waterfall, eco friendly and on and on. The choice is yours.

How Much Is A Power Shower

There are few things to consider when looking at the cost of a power shower, let’s break it down for ease of viewing. First let’s look at the actual power shower itself.

How Much Does A Power Shower Cost

The average price of a power shower is somewhere between £150-£600, there are obviously cheaper models available and of course there are also much more expensive models depending on features, brand,power etc…

How Much Does It Cost To Have A Power Shower installed

It is possible to install a power shower yourself, but unless you are a qualified plumber, it’s not advisable. It’s much better to call in an expert to do the job safely. There are a few factors which make the installation costs for a power shower more complex, So let’s break this down even further.

What’s The Cost Of Installing A New Power Shower From Scratch

As well as the cost of the power shower itself, there are installation costs to be factored in too. Depending on the plumber used, their hourly rate is between £40-£60 and installing a power shower can take anywhere between 1-2 days to complete. Some plumbers charge a day rate which is usually between £150-£270 per day. 

There are also the costs of materials to be added which can be anything between £120-£300 depending if you need new pipe work, tile replacements etc…

How Much Does It Cost To Replace An Existing Power Shower

The material costs remain the same, probably between £120-£300 but the labour costs are significantly lower at around £80-£150 and the job will usually take around 3 hours. That’s assuming no problems are found, remember this is just a rough guide to give you an idea of costings.

How Much Does It Cost To Install An Electric Shower

A decent plumber will charge somewhere in the region of £150-£230 for labour. With an additional £100-£150 worth of materials. And the work will take around 3-5 hours. So going for an electric shower as opposed to a power shower is a cheaper option all round, but it doesn’t deliver such an invigorating showering experience.

Additional Costs That Might Be Incurred

To complete this guide it’s best to cover as much as possible to make your choices more informed. So let’s look at additional costs you might incur when fitting a power shower.

Location

If you live in London you could be looking at an additional cost of £30-£70 in labour costs than someone who lives in say, the North of England. This is just on labour costs, materials and time scale should be the same but check before you OK the work.

Tiling

If you decide to have the whole bathroom retiled because some tiles need to be replaced due to power shower installation, the rough price for completely retiling a medium sized bathroom is between £450-£700.

New Boiler

Your old boiler might not be up to scratch and if that’s the case, you can expect to pay between £800-£2000 for a new boiler. This is dependent on type make and model.

Installing An Extractor Fan

To have an extractor fan installed, to take steam out of your bathroom, you are probably looking at around £250-£300 all in.

A New Bathroom

If once you install a power shower, you decide that maybe it might be good to go for a completely new bathroom, you can expect to pay somewhere in the region of £3500-£5000 for the complete fitting. This price is based on a medium sized bathroom.

Frequently Asked Questions