The average cost to install an electric shower with a medium spec shower is roughly £550 – £600. However, this can vary widely depending on the quality of the electric shower installed. Expect to pay £300 – £400 for the labour costs, plus however much you want for the shower. Electric shower prices start from £250 (supply only).
Average Installation Cost
Average prices and ranges below do not include VAT. Most fitters will only quote for the labour work, i.e. the installation of the shower itself, meaning you’ll need to pay for the shower itself on top.
| Ranges | Average | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Labour/Installation Only | £350 | £180 - £550 |
| Shower Cost | £220 | £70 - £450 |
| Total | £570 | £250 - £1000 |
Labour can take anywhere from 3 to 8 hours to install.
However, many factors can affect the price of a quote, meaning it’s difficult to get an accurate one without a professional seeing your property.
The price of the shower itself can vary considerably depending on your budget. You can pay as little as £50 for a budget power electric shower usually up to £400 for premium electric showers. However, you can pay even more for one if you want to.
Factors That Affect the Cost
Many issues can change the average prices. Here are some of the most important things an electrician or plumber will have to bear in mind.
Whether You Already Have an Existing Electric Shower
If you already have an electric shower fitted and simply need a new shower to replace your existing one, expect to pay closer to £70 – £150 for the labour costs, plus the cost of the shower itself.
This is because all the cabling is already installed and should be able to still be used provided it is in good condition.
Distance of Shower From Consumer Unit
The next thing to consider is how far and how easy is it to get a cable from the consumer unit to the shower via an isolator. The length of a shower cable costs roughly £3 per metre.
The route itself from your shower to your consumer unit may also be problematic. For example, if carpets or flooring need to be removed, this will add cost. Cables may also need to be chased into the walls.
How Powerful Your Shower Is (kW Output)
Showers are powered by kilowatts (kW). The higher the kW the more powerful the shower and the bigger the cable needs to be. Cable runs are usually 6mm or 10mm.
Generally, 10mm will suffice for an electric shower with 8.5 – 9.5 kW of output. However, it may be worth opting for 10mm cabling even if your electric shower has a lower output in case you replace it with a more powerful shower in the future.
This ensures you don’t have to redo the cabling.
Does Your Consumer Unit Have RCD Protection?
An RCD (residual current device) is a device that stops you from getting a fatal electric shock if you touch something live, such as a bare wire. It can also protect against electrical fires.
The shower will need its circuit which needs to be RCD-protected to meet regulations. Your consumer unit should already have RCDs and hopefully, space for a new circuit.
These costs should be covered with a contractor’s quote. However, a stand-alone RCD unit stand is about £40. It may need a henley block which is roughly £10.
A new consumer unit if updated for dual RCD is about £80 for dual RCD. A surge protection device is an extra £40.
Amount of Plumbing Works
All electricians are certified to install the electrical aspect of the job, but not many plumbers. They need to be part-P certified, which allows them to work with electrical components.
Therefore, if you use an electrician, then you may still need to hire a plumber for that side of the job. They will need to do all the works relating to water (i.e. whether you need pipes in the wall).
Location
Labour costs in London and the south of England are generally more expensive than elsewhere. You can expect to pay anywhere somewhere in the region of 10-20% extra.
If the contractor needs to travel beyond a certain radius, then they may add an extra fee on top.
Why You Can Trust This Data
We contacted 37 companies across the UK for quotes on installing an electric shower. Since the price of showers can vary considerably, most would quote for the labour costs to install, then expect you to supply the shower yourself.
To get the figures for the showers themselves, we checked several shower retailers and aggregated the data.
We would like to give special thanks to the following companies for their insight in their replies when looking for quotes:
- Phoenix Electromechanical Services Ltd
- Elec-Tech Electrical Services Ltd
- Carl Ramplin Electrical Services
Get Prices on Electric Shower Installations Near You
We’ve done our best to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay to install an electric shower.
However, our guides are not a substitute for a fixed quote specifically for you.
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