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An electric shower needs its own circuit sized for its rating — an 8.5kW to 10.5kW unit draws a lot, so cable size, the protective device and the existing supply capacity all have to be checked. A means of isolation, usually a ceiling pull-cord switch, is required.
6 questions in this topic. General UK guidance, not advice about a specific property.
An electric shower needs its own circuit sized for its rating — an 8.5kW to 10.5kW unit draws a lot, so cable size, the protective device and the existing supply capacity all have to be checked. A means of isolation, usually a ceiling pull-cord switch, is required.
Fitting a more powerful shower into the circuit of a weaker one is a frequent and serious mistake. Send the model and kW rating with your enquiry.
Common causes are a failed thermostat, a failed element, or a tripped device at the board. Immersion heaters draw around 3kW continuously, so they also frequently reveal weak connections at the switch or the flex outlet.
An element that has failed to earth will trip an RCD. Replacement of the element itself is usually a plumbing job, but the circuit, switch and connection are electrical.
Storage heaters charge on a cheaper overnight rate and release heat during the day. They rely on a time-switched supply, historically through a separate off-peak circuit and a two-rate meter.
Modern replacements — high heat retention units — give much better control. Any change should consider the existing off-peak wiring and metering, because these are often still on decades-old arrangements.
Yes. Small panel heaters may be plug-in, but fixed heating is better wired to a fused connection unit or its own circuit, and several heaters across a house add up to a significant load that should be assessed against the supply.
Room-by-room thermostats and programmers make a large difference to running cost, so specify the controls rather than just the heaters.
Electric underfloor heating is well suited to a bathroom or a small area used intermittently. Heating a whole house with it is expensive at current electricity prices compared with a wet system — which is why it is usually specified room by room.
Insulation under the mat, a sensible thermostat and floor sensor, and a floor finish that conducts well all matter more than the mat itself.
These are specialist installations. Solar PV and battery storage normally need an MCS-registered installer for the export arrangement and any grant or tariff eligibility, and the connection has to be notified to the network operator. Heat pumps similarly have their own schemes.
The electrical installation still has to support them — supply capacity, board arrangement, earthing and isolation — which is where a general electrical assessment is relevant.