Ask ten Plymouth households how they shower and you will hear very different setups, yet behind almost all of them sits the same fork in the road: electric or mixer. It is one of the first things we talk through on a walk-in shower project, because the type you choose quietly shapes your plumbing, your electrics, your monthly running costs and the way the shower actually feels at seven in the morning. This guide puts the two head to head, in plain English, so you can choose with confidence.
There is no universally best shower, only the right one for your home, your hot water setup and the way your household lives. An electric shower and a mixer shower reach the same hot spray by completely different routes: one heats the water itself, the other borrows it from your existing supply. Grasp that single difference and everything else, from gentler winter flow to what happens the day the boiler gives up, falls neatly into place.
How each type of shower actually works
Before comparing them, it helps to see what is happening behind the wall. The two designs could hardly be more different under the surface, and that is exactly why they suit different homes, budgets and plumbing setups across the city. Once the mechanics are clear, the rest of the decision tends to make itself.
Electric showers: heat on demand
An electric shower takes cold water straight from the mains and heats it on the spot, passing it over an electric heating element much like a kettle does. Nothing is stored and nothing is drawn from your boiler, so an electric shower keeps working even when the boiler is down, and it only heats the water you actually use. The trade-off is flow: because the element can warm only so much water per second, the spray is gentler, and in the depths of a Plymouth winter, when the incoming mains water is colder, the flow eases back further to hold the temperature up. Every electric shower also needs its own dedicated electrical supply, which is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations.
Mixer showers: blend what you already have
A mixer shower does no heating of its own. Instead it blends hot and cold water that already exist in your home, either from a hot water cylinder or straight from a combi boiler, and delivers them at your chosen temperature. Because the hot water is ready and waiting, a mixer typically gives a stronger, more consistent flow and that fuller, more drenching experience most people associate with a really good shower. The catch is that it leans entirely on your hot water supply and on having adequate pressure; on a low-pressure gravity system a pump or dedicated power shower can boost things nicely. Thermostatic versions of either type cap the temperature to guard against scalding, and we cover that technology in detail in our guide to thermostatic mixer shower valves.
Power showers and pumped systems
A power shower is really a mixer with a built-in pump, and it exists to solve one specific problem: weak flow on a gravity-fed system. Older Plymouth homes with a cold tank in the loft and a hot cylinder below often lack the pressure to drive a satisfying spray, and rather than settle for a trickle you can add a pump, either inside a power-shower unit or plumbed separately, to lift both the hot and cold feeds. The result is a punchy, invigorating shower that a plain gravity mixer could never manage. It is worth knowing that power and pumped showers use more water than a standard mixer, and that they are not suited to combi boilers, which are already fed from the pressurised mains and should never be pumped. Getting this match right is where a proper survey earns its keep.
Electric vs mixer: the head-to-head
Here is the straight comparison we would sketch out at your kitchen table. Read it as a starting point, then weigh the rows that matter most to your household rather than the total tally.
| Electric shower | Mixer shower | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Heats cold mains water on demand via a built-in element | Blends your existing hot and cold water to a set temperature |
| Hot water source | None needed — makes its own hot water | Stored cylinder or combi boiler |
| Flow & experience | Gentler spray; eases back in cold weather | Stronger, fuller and more consistent |
| Running cost & energy | Heats only what you use, but electricity costs more per unit | Draws on cheaper stored or boiler heat, though it can use more water |
| Best plumbing system | Any home on the mains; ideal where hot water is limited | Combi, or gravity/stored hot water with good pressure |
| Install needs | Dedicated electrical circuit, Part P notifiable | Plumbing to hot and cold, sometimes a pump |
| Works if boiler fails | Yes — fully independent | No — relies on the boiler or cylinder |
Pros and cons at a glance
No shower is all upside. Here is the honest balance sheet for each, so you can see what you gain and what you accept with either choice.
Electric shower
- Keeps running even when the boiler is down
- Heats only the water you use, with no standby waste
- Fits almost any home, including those with no usable stored hot water
- Compact, self-contained and relatively simple to replace
The flip side: the spray is gentler than a good mixer, the flow drops in cold weather, and because it runs on electricity the cost per shower is higher. It also needs a qualified electrician for the dedicated supply.
Mixer shower
- Stronger, more consistent flow and a fuller shower
- Uses your existing, often cheaper, stored or boiler heat
- Pairs beautifully with rainfall and dual-head fittings
- Temperature stays steady, especially with a thermostatic valve
The catch: it depends entirely on a working boiler or cylinder and on decent pressure, so a low-gravity system may want a pump, and if the boiler fails your shower goes cold along with it.
Which shower suits your Plymouth home?
Your hot water system usually points to the answer before we even discuss taste. If you have a modern combi boiler with good pressure, a mixer shower is often the natural fit, delivering a strong, steady spray with no pump required. If you are on an older gravity-fed system with a tank in the loft and a cylinder in the airing cupboard, a mixer can still shine but may want a pump to lift the flow, which is common in Plymouth’s Victorian and Edwardian homes.
Where hot water is tight, unreliable or simply not worth reheating for a quick wash, an electric shower comes into its own. In a busy Plympton family bathroom where the cylinder empties fast on school mornings, an electric shower guarantees hot water for the last person in the queue. In a Devonport flat with no room for a cylinder, it may be the only practical route. And for a second bathroom or en-suite that sees occasional use, heating water on demand rather than keeping a tank hot can make very good sense. Households where several people shower back to back also appreciate that an electric unit never runs the tank dry, since it makes hot water fresh every time rather than sharing a finite stored volume.
Mixer showers tend to win where the experience matters most: a main bathroom in Plymstock or Derriford where the household wants that generous, enveloping flow, or where you are pairing the shower with a large fitting that an electric unit simply cannot feed. If you are weighing up those bigger heads, our guide to rainfall and dual-head showers is worth a read, and it pays to check your walk-in shower sizes and dimensions so the fitting suits the space. Whichever way you lean, you can explore the full walk-in showers range to see how it all comes together.
Considerations and common pitfalls
A few practical points save a lot of grief later. An electric shower must be wired on its own dedicated circuit by a qualified electrician, and that work is notifiable under Part P, so it should always be certificated; we handle that as standard within a full bathroom installation. With a mixer, the make-or-break factor is pressure, so it is worth measuring your flow before falling for a particular head, especially on a gravity system. Do not assume a like-for-like swap is simple, either: moving from electric to mixer means running new hot and cold feeds, while going the other way means bringing power to the shower position. A tidy, well-planned first fit avoids ugly surface runs of pipe or cable later, so it always pays to settle on the shower type before the walls are boarded and tiled.
Reliability is the quiet dealbreaker for some households. If your boiler has a habit of playing up, the independence of an electric shower is genuinely reassuring, and some homes keep one electric shower precisely as a backup. Cost sits on both sides of the ledger: electric units are cheaper to buy and install but pricier to run per shower, while mixers cost more to plumb yet draw on cheaper heat. For the bigger picture on budgets, see our Plymouth bathroom cost guide, and remember that fitting here runs around nine per cent below the UK average. If your shower is part of a wider refresh, our bathroom renovation service brings the plumbing, electrics and tiling together under one roof, or you can simply get in touch and we will talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper to run, an electric or mixer shower?
It depends on how you heat your water. An electric shower heats only what you use, with no stored water going cold and being reheated, but electricity costs more per unit than gas. A mixer draws on your boiler or cylinder, so if you heat water with gas it is usually cheaper per shower, though a mixer tends to use more water. For a quick daily wash the electric shower can work out well; for long, powerful showers a gas-fed mixer often wins.
Will an electric shower still work if my boiler breaks down?
Yes. An electric shower heats cold mains water itself and does not touch your boiler or hot water cylinder, so it carries on working when the boiler is down. That independence is exactly why some Plymouth homes keep an electric shower as a reliable backup, even when their main shower is a mixer.
Do I need an electrician to fit an electric shower?
Yes. An electric shower needs its own dedicated electrical circuit, and that work is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations, so it must be carried out and certificated by a qualified electrician. We arrange this as part of the installation, so the paperwork and the safety are both taken care of.
Why is my electric shower weaker in winter?
Because the incoming mains water is colder in winter, the heating element has to work harder to reach your set temperature. To manage that, the shower reduces the flow so the water spends longer over the element. The result is a gentler spray in the coldest months, which is normal for an electric shower rather than a fault.
Can I get a powerful shower on a low-pressure system?
Yes, usually. On a low-pressure gravity system a mixer shower can be boosted with a pump or a dedicated power shower to give a strong, satisfying flow. It is worth measuring your pressure first so the right pump is specified, and we can advise on whether pumping or switching approach makes more sense for your home.
Proud Bathroom Fitters Plymouth
Not sure which shower is right for your home?
Tell us about your bathroom, your hot water system and how your household showers, and we will give you an honest steer, electric or mixer, then fit it properly on a fixed written quote and a clear timeline.