HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

How to hire an electric shower installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A new electric shower circuit is notifiable in England and Wales. The register check, the cable questions, and the certificates you should get.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an electric shower installer in five steps

  1. Know the shower's ratingThe kW of the new unit and of the old one; a more powerful shower may need thicker cable.
  2. Look them up firstThe Registered Competent Person Electrical register covers England and Wales; check the name there before agreeing the shower installation.
  3. Ask about the circuitExisting cable re-used, or a new dedicated circuit from the consumer unit?
  4. Agree who does the plumbingThe cold feed and any new position need plumbing as well as wiring.
  5. Get the certificateElectrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit, and the compliance certificate from the scheme.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Registered Competent Person Electrical

In England and Wales, a new shower circuit is notifiable, and so is any new point or circuit change near a bath or shower. For the notifiable parts of the shower installation, an electrician registered with a government-authorised scheme (NICEIC or NAPIT, say) signs off compliance with the Building Regulations; without one, building control must be notified before work starts and inspects for a fee. A trader quoting for the shower installation should have public liability insurance and tell you who provides it. That trader status is what gives you rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and for a home or online booking a 14-day cancellation window under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — which does not cover goods made to your specification, and leaves you paying for work you asked to start early.

Look up the business name on the register; it takes a minute and should come before the shower installation. Get a copy of the insurance before the shower installation starts, and check the profile for the ID-checked and trader badges. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Electrical Installation Certificate

When the shower installation includes a new circuit, it is tested to BS 7671 and recorded on an Electrical Installation Certificate; a like-for-like swap on the existing circuit gets a Minor Works Certificate. If the shower installation is notifiable, the scheme also issues a Building Regulations compliance certificate: gov.uk says within 8 weeks in England, and the Welsh Government says the electrician should arrange it within 30 days.

Get the certificate and its schedule of results on the day the shower installation is completed. gov.wales →

Building warrant (Scotland) and Northern Ireland

Scottish building standard 4.5 requires the shower installation to be wired to BS 7671; there is no competent person register in Scotland, and some jobs, such as a flat rewire, need a building warrant that falls to the owner. In Northern Ireland, the shower installation comes under building regulations with no Part P-style notification scheme for home wiring.

For a Scottish home, ask the electrician whether the shower installation needs a building warrant and whether they are an approved certifier of construction. gov.scot →

Water fittings

The shower's water connection is plumbing work under the water fittings rules; an approved contractor who installs or alters a fitting must give a certificate saying whether it complies.

Ask whether the shower installation needs plumbing changes and who certifies them. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

VAT on fitting an electric shower is charged at the standard 20%, and any business turning over more than £90,000 a year in taxable sales has to register, add it to the price and set it out on its own line.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the shower quote. gov.uk →

“Can the existing cable carry the new shower?”

A good answer: An answer from measuring, not guessing: the cable size, the breaker and the length of the run against the new shower's kW.

“Do I need a new circuit?”

A good answer: If the cable or breaker is too small, yes — and it is notifiable in England and Wales.

“Where will the isolator go?”

A good answer: A pull-cord or switch outside the shower zones, so the shower can be isolated safely.

“Is there room in the consumer unit?”

A good answer: A clear answer; a full or old board may need work before a high-current circuit goes on it.

“Who does the plumbing?”

A good answer: The installer, a plumber they work with, or you — agreed before the day.

“Will I get a certificate and a compliance certificate?”

A good answer: An Electrical Installation Certificate on the day for a new circuit, and the scheme's compliance certificate afterwards.

Getting the quote right

  • The shower unit by make and kW, or a labour-only price if you supply it
  • Cable size and whether a new circuit is needed
  • Isolator switch and any consumer unit work
  • Plumbing and making good around the unit
  • Who actually attends — the electrician and any plumber for the water side, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line
  • Certification included

Walk away if

  • Fits a higher-kW shower on the old cable without checking it
  • No isolator outside the shower zones
  • No certificate for a new shower circuit
  • Not on the competent person register in England or Wales, yet running a new circuit
  • Leaves the plumbing 'to sort out later'
LOW
£120
TYPICAL
£250
HIGH
£700

What an electric shower installer costs: £120–£700 per install

Electric shower installation is priced per install; a like-for-like swap is cheapest, while a new circuit, a full consumer unit and new plumbing add to it. Electric Shower Installation price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Electric shower installers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyThe installer checks the cable, breaker, consumer unit and water supply against the new shower.
  2. IsolateElectricity and water are both isolated before the old unit comes off.
  3. InstallNew circuit or cable if needed, isolator fitted outside the zones, shower mounted and plumbed.
  4. TestThe circuit is tested to BS 7671 and the shower run to check heating, flow and seals.
  5. CertifyCertificate handed over; a new circuit notified through the scheme.

kW rating
The shower's power; higher kW needs thicker cable.
Isolator
The pull-cord or switch that cuts the shower's supply.
Shower zones
The areas around a bath or shower where the wiring rules restrict equipment.
Dedicated circuit
A circuit from the board that serves only the shower.
Cold feed
The mains water pipe to the shower.
Compliance certificate
The scheme's confirmation that notifiable work meets the Building Regulations.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the certificatesThe Electrical Installation or Minor Works Certificate, the compliance certificate for a new circuit, and the shower's warranty card.
Run the showerFull heat and full flow for several minutes; check the isolator works and nothing leaks.
Register the warrantyMany shower warranties need registering with the maker, sometimes with the installer's details.
Rate the workOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the shower installation falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Contact the electrician in writingExplain clearly what has gone wrong with the shower installation, what the quote or contract said, and when you need it put right. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats reasonable care and skill as part of the deal, and lets you claim a redo or a reduction when it is not met.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the shower installation under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unsafe or uncertified workIf the shower installation was notifiable in England or Wales but was never self-certified or notified, tell the council's building control; if the compliance certificate has not come, the electrician's scheme can chase it. For a dispute about the shower installation with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the shower installation is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an electric shower installer: questions people ask

A new shower circuit, or any new point or circuit change near a bath or shower, is notifiable in England and Wales: a scheme electrician self-certifies it, or building control is notified before it starts.

An Electrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit, or a Minor Works Certificate for a swap on the existing circuit, plus the compliance certificate for notifiable work.

£120–£700 an installation, typically around £250. A like-for-like swap is cheapest; a new position with its own circuit and water feed costs most. The full figures sit in the Electric Shower Installation price guide; the postcode search above lists electric shower installers close to you with their prices.

Only if the cable and breaker are rated for it; the installer should check before you buy.

Agree it up front: many installers do both; otherwise a plumber connects the water and the electrician the supply.

Stop using it and call the installer back: a trip on a new shower usually means a fault in the connection, the unit or the cable.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: Consumer Unit / Fuse Board UpgradeHow to hire: Extractor Fan InstallationHow to hire: Partial RewiringHow to hire: Emergency ElectricianHow to hire: Electrical Fault FindingHow to hire: Downlight InstallationHow to hire: Ventilation InstallationAll 701 hiring guides →

Electric shower installers near you

Electric shower installers in LondonElectric shower installers in ManchesterElectric shower installers in BirminghamElectric shower installers in GlasgowElectric shower installers in BelfastAll electric shower installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Approved Document P: electrical safety in dwellings (England)
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  4. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  5. gov.scot — Building Standards Technical Handbook 2022 (domestic), standard 4.5 electrical safety
  6. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 6 — contractor's certificate
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  12. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  13. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  14. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  15. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  16. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  17. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register