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Show Installation Cost

By Kim

Last updated 20th February 2024 - Reading time: 18 mins

At a glance

The average cost to install a power shower is around £500
The job will usually take between 1 - 2 days

In this article, you'll find out the following:

A breakdown of pricing information including types of power shower and what's usually involved in such a task
How long the job will take and a general overview of power showers and what types of jobs can be performed
How to find and hire a plumber to install your shower

Want to know how much it costs to have a power shower installed? In need of a replacement shower?

In this guide we breakdown the average prices of different types of power showers and the costs of hiring a shower fitter to install them.

To give you an idea of the costs, on average the installation of a brand new shower is usually around £500.

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Average Cost of Installing a Power Shower:

Depending on the complexity of the job, it usually takes: 1-2 days

£500

How Much To Install a Shower?
- Shower Installation Prices
Labour Costs and Timescales
Supply Costs Only
Additional Costs
What is a Power Shower?
Cost Factors of Installing a Power Shower
What's Involved in Installing a Power Shower?
Can I Install a Power Shower Myself?
Alternative to a Power Shower
Benefits of Installing a Power Shower
Removing a Power Shower
Hiring a Power Shower Installer Checklist
FAQs
Sources

How Much To Install a Shower?

People sometimes get confused between power showers and electric showers, but the difference is, a power shower has a pump that increases the flow rate of both the hot and cold water coming into the shower. It also has a thermostat to control the temperature.

However, an electric shower does not have a pump, it just heats the water as it comes in from the mains or cold water storage tank. So, therefore, a power shower boosts the water pressure whereas an electric shower just heats the water up.

A standard power shower uses a pump to take hot and cold water from and this is heated by your boiler. Although these are cheap to run, they will use more electricity than an electric shower, assuming the same amount of time is spent in the shower (though of course, during the same time period, a power shower will deliver more hot water).

The amount of money you would save with an electric shower depends on your electricity tariff, how you heat your hot water, and how old your boiler is.

On average, a power shower costs around twice as much as an electric shower. An average electric shower in a typical home with a gas boiler at current rates would costs around 20p for a 10-minute shower, whereas the same 10-minute shower would cost around 40p in a power shower.

Installing a power shower is not a DIY project but you can swap a normal shower yourself as you do not need to have an electrical safety certificate.

We would still recommend getting a professional in to complete the job. The installation of a brand-new power shower usually costs around £500.

What to do if water in my power shower is not draining?

"Sounds like the trap is blocked. Take the waste cap off, twist and pull the sediment tray out and clean."

S.T. Installations

Shower Installation Prices

Job Description	Labour Costs	Material Costs	Timescales
Installing a new power shower	£200-£400	£120-£300	1-2 days
Replacing an existing power shower	£80-£150	£120-£300	2-3 hours
Installation of an electric shower	£150-£230	£100-£150	3-5 hours

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Labour Costs and Timescales

The average plumber will usually charge around £40-£60 per hour for their work on fitting a power shower. If it is an extensive job, they may charge a day rate which is usually around £150-£270 per day.

The installation of a power shower can usually be completed within a day; however, it may take two days if there is any extra pipework that is needed. This is most likely when the shower is being installed in a different place to the existing shower.

Where you are located in the UK can have quite a big effect on the cost of labour to install a power shower. People who live in London can expect to pay around £30-£70 extra for the cost of labour to install a power shower than people in the North of the UK would pay.

Supply Costs Only

The cost to buy a power shower from a store is usually somewhere between £150-£600 on average.

The cost of the power shower you choose will depend on the amount of water pressure you’re looking for. Power showers tend to be quite powerful anyway in their own right, however, some models are more powerful than others. The more powerful the power shower, the more you can expect to pay.

The power depends on the number of litres of water flow per minute. The average power shower uses around 14 litres of water flow per minute; however, more powerful models can have a maximum water flow per minute of around 18-20.

Additional Costs

There are some additional costs that you may need to consider when installing a power shower. Below is a list of costs that you may need to be aware of before deciding to install your power shower.

Tiling your bathroom – To fully tile a medium sized bathroom, you can expect to pay on average around £450-£700
New boiler – To have a new boiler fitted in your home you can expect to pay on average around £800-£2000
Extractor fan installation – To have an extractor fan installed in your bathroom you can expect to pay on average around £250-£300
New bathroom – To have a completely new bathroom fitted in your home you can expect to pay on average around £3500-£5000 for a medium-sized bathroom fitting

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What is a Power Shower?

A power shower combines both cold and hot water from your home’s water supply to reach the desired temperature as set by your shower’s thermostat controls. A power shower is typically installed in a home that has a low-pressure water system, with hot water that is readily available in a hot water tank or storage cylinder.

To set this up, there is most commonly a pump that is installed inside a small box within the wall. This is used to boost the water flow and increase your water pressure, which ultimately allows for a more enjoyable and more powerful shower experience.

Cost Factors of Installing a Power Shower

There are a number of factors that can affect the cost of having your new power shower installed. Below is a list of some of the main cost factors that you should be aware of when choosing to have a new power shower installed in your home.

Quality of Shower

The quality of the shower that you choose to have can greatly affect the cost of your power shower installation. Power showers range greatly in prices. You could find yourself spending up to £500 or more on a more powerful power shower than you would if you chose a more basic power shower model.

Location of Property

The location of your property within the UK can affect the cost of your power shower installation. People who live in London can expect to pay around £30-£70 extra for the cost of labour to install a power shower than people in the North of the UK would pay. This would, therefore, increase the overall cost of having a power shower installed for those who live in the London area.

Additional Plumbing or Construction Work

If there is any additional plumbing or construction work needed, this will increase the time that it takes to get the job done. Therefore, the price of the overall job will increase because the labour costs will be more due to the extra time taken to complete the job.

New Boiler System Needed

Sometimes, you may need a whole new boiler system in order to get your new power shower working perfectly. If you need a new boiler system, this can add around £800-£2000 onto the price of the job and will also add an additional time of around 1-2 days onto the job.

What's Involved in Installing a Power Shower?

Installing a power shower can usually be completed within a day. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to install a new power shower in your home.

Step One

You should begin by turning off the fuse box and then carefully select a position for your new shower unit. Take the water heater front cover off and then attach this to the wall. Make an outline of the heater using a pencil and clearly mark all of the holes, electrical cable points, and copper pipe points.

Step Two

Scan the wall using an electronic detector for any cables and wiring that exists behind the wall. Be sure to do this BEFORE drilling any holes into the wall. For extra safety, you should ensure the electrical cables from the water heater are buried in the wall either vertically or horizontally in the middle of the unit and switch.

Step Three

Drill holes in the wall for all the cables and pipes using a drill. Using the wall bracket or sliding rail as an outline, make a hole for the shower rail. Then, turn the main stopcock off and run the cold tap until dry. You should then use an adjustable wrench to connect the copper pipe to the rising main using a 15mm compressed tee fixing.

Step Four

Cut a long hole along the wall at the mains pipe – this will accommodate the compressed fitting. Then, put the new copper pipe into the third arm on the tee and put a stop valve close to the tee. Turn the stop valve off and reconnect the cold-water supply. Then, attach a flexible hosepipe over the end of the copper pipe.

Step Five

Flush out the new pipe to check for any leaks in it. Then you need to shut off the stop valve and link the copper pipe to the bottom part of the heater unit. You will need to use an elbow pipe, sealing olive, and nut to fix this using an adjustable wrench. Finally, check the system for leaks by opening the stop valve. Once you’ve checked it, be sure to then turn the stop valve off.

Can I Install a Power Shower Myself?

It is possible to install a power shower yourself, considering you have some plumbing and electrics knowledge.

However, we would always recommend hiring a professional to complete the job for you to ensure that it is done correctly and perfectly and works without any issues. As both electricity and water are involved in installing a power shower, you want to ensure that the job is completed safely.

If you choose to complete the job yourself, there are some safety precautions that you will need to follow as listed below:

Always read the manufacturer’s instructions thoroughly and carefully
Ensure that your mixer is installed, operated, commissioned, and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations
The shower unit must not be installed anywhere where it may be exposed to freezing conditions

Alternative to a Power Shower

There are a number of different alternative showers available if you are looking for something other than a power shower. Below is a list of the other shower options available that you may want to consider over a power shower along with their main advantages and disadvantages.

Electrical Shower

An electrical shower is one of the most versatile types of shower on the market. These types of showers are ideal if you want to be able to have an instantly hot shower. They also offer great benefits such as savings on your energy bill in comparison to more powerful models like a power shower.

An electric shower heats water through an electrical element. Instead of taking hot water from a tank or boiler system, they instead require cold water and instantly heat the water up with an in-built heating device. They mix hot water and cold water to reach your desired temperature.

Electric showers usually cost on average around £80-£350

Pros

✔ You don’t need a hot water supply to use it, so you don’t need to worry about running out of hot water
✔ You can save energy and money on your energy bills
✔ They offer a low flow rate so you could save on your water bill as well
✔ Work great with combi boilers
✔ You don’t have to wait for the hot water to come on to have a shower
✔ Even if your boiler fails, you can still have a hot shower

Cons

✖ They rely on your existing water pressure so the pressure may be low
✖ The shower won’t work in the event of a power cut

Mixer Shower

A mixer shower uses an existing source of hot water. It mixes your hot and cold water together. It requires a source of electricity to run usually, however, it runs purely mechanically.

Mixer showers usually cost on average around £50-£350

Pros

✔ Mixer showers can be more powerful than other shower models
✔ You can save money on your electricity bill by switching to a mixer shower

Cons

✖ Could end up using up all of the hot water easily
✖ If your boiler fails, the mixer shower won’t provide hot water
✖ Could have low pressure as the pressure depends on your household water pressure

Digital Shower

Digital showers are a much more modern model of shower. They are great for people who love to have all the latest technology in their home.

The main difference between a digital shower and other models is that they can offer extremely precise temperature controls, and these can be set at the touch of a button.

Digital showers feature a control panel that displays information such as the temperature and flow rate. This means that you can accurately change the temperature by the degree. You can even set up different profiles for each person in your family.

You can even link your shower up to your phone or smart devices so you can turn your shower on or change the controls using voice commands.

Digital showers usually cost on average around £200-£500

Pros

✔ Features the latest technologies
✔ Change temperature specifically by the degree
✔ Use voice commands to control your shower
✔ Control your water pressure with the control panel

Cons

✖ Could be confusing if you are not highly technical
✖ More expensive price range

Benefits of Installing a Power Shower

There are many benefits to having a power shower installed in your home. Below is a list of some of the main benefits of installing a power show in your bathroom.

Increased Flow Rate

A power shower offers an increased flow rate which means that you can have a much more powerful shower. This allows for a much more enjoyable showering experience.

Convenient

The power shower is very convenient as you can get a super great clean in a fast amount of time. The great water pressure on a power shower allows for an amazing showering experience.

Quick and Easy to Install

A power shower is very quick and easy to install, and you can be in your new power shower within a few hours. This is perfect for when you have a broken shower and need a new replacement fast.

Removing a Power Shower

If you are replacing your power shower for a new one, or if you are thinking of changing to a different type of shower, you may need to remove your existing power shower.

The list below provides instructions on how to safely remove your existing power shower.

Step One

Disconnect all of the power supplies to the shower and then check the electrical supply with an electrical tester so that you can be absolutely certain that all of the electricity that flows to your shower is not on. Once you are certain that the electricity supply is fully switched off, then also switch off the water supply.

Step Two

Remove the shower unit by unscrewing the four screws which hold it to the wall. Once you have undone these screws, simply lift the shower unit away from the wall. At this point, all of the remaining connectors should be removed from the shower unit.

It is really that simple to remove your old power shower.

If you don’t feel comfortable completing this job yourself, you could hire a general labourer to remove your power shower for you. For this type of work, a labourer would normally charge around £14-£20 per hour and the job should be able to be completed within 1-2 hours.

Hiring a Power Shower Installer Checklist

There are a few things you will need to consider before hiring someone to install a new power shower for you. Below is a list of some of the main things that you should consider when looking for the right contractor for the job:

Does the engineer offer any guarantees with their work?
How much does the work cost to complete? – Ask for a breakdown of costs so you can ensure you are paying a good price for each element of the job.
What type of power showers does the company offer?
Do you have to supply your own power shower?
Is the engineer experienced in fitting the type of shower that you are purchasing?
How many years’ worth of experience does the engineer have in fitting new power showers?
Be sure to get at least 3 quotes for the job so that you can ensure that you are paying a good price for the job at hand.

FAQs

How does a power shower work?

A power shower works by taking water from both the hot and cold-water supplies and it mixes the hot and cold water together to reach your desired showering temperature. Power showers produce a more impressive powerful spray due to an internal pump that boosts the water flow rate. Power showers are perfect for homes that have a good amount of hot water supply.

How much water does a power shower use?

The majority of power showers tend to use around 14-18 litres of water per minute.

What features should I look out for in a power shower?

A thermostatic power shower can help you to ensure that your shower remains at a steady temperature even if someone else in the house turns a tap on or flushes the toilet.

Powers showers that don’t have this feature can turn scalding hot and then freezing cold as the shower can struggle to adjust to the changes in water flow due to the change in water demands from other users in the home.

Can I install a power shower myself?

It is possible to install a power shower yourself, as long as you have some plumbing and electricity knowledge to begin with. However, we would always recommend hiring a professional to complete the job for you to ensure that it is done correctly and perfectly, and so that it works without any issues.

As both electricity and water are involved in installing a power shower, you want to ensure that the job is completed safely.

What capacity of hot and cold water do I need to have stored to use a power shower?

It is recommended that you have a minimum hot water storage capacity of 100 litres and a minimum cold water storage capacity of 230 litres. This will allow for a sensible amount of shower time.

If you have lower volumes of water storage, this will result in shorter showering times.