How much water does a shower use in the UK? Litres and bills

How much water a shower uses in the UK depends mostly on the type: about 6 litres a minute for an electric shower and around 15 litres a minute for a power or mixer shower, the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) says. So an 8-minute shower uses roughly 48 to 120 litres.

This guide gives litres per minute by shower type, how long UK showers last and how your use compares with the average. It then covers what the water costs on a meter and simple ways to use less.

We sell a filter shower head, which is not a water-saving product, so every figure here links to its source.

How many litres a minute does a shower use?

A shower in the UK uses about 6 to 15 litres of water a minute. Electric showers sit at the low end and power or mixer showers at the high end, according to the CCW.

Waterwise puts a standard shower head at 10 to 15 litres a minute and a low-flow head at around 6. A head's flow rate makes a real difference to the total, so check the figure its maker states.

The government's home energy rating method, SAP 10.2 (December 2021), gives default flow rates for when a shower's real flow is unknown. They run from 7 litres a minute for a gravity-fed shower in an existing home to 12 for one with a pump.

The spread is wide because showers are fed and heated in different ways, and the head matters too. Not sure which type you have? Our guide to the types of shower in the UK shows how to tell.

To find your own figure, time how long your shower takes to fill a 1-litre jug, then divide 60 by the number of seconds. A jug that fills in 6 seconds means 10 litres a minute.

How long is a typical shower in the UK?

A typical UK shower lasts about 6 to 8 minutes. People surveyed by Thames Water in 2025 said they spend about eight minutes in the shower, and SAP 10.2 assumes a 6-minute shower in its calculations.

The Thames Water survey covered 2,000 households in its area and was published on 6 June 2025. The eight minutes is what people reported, not a stopwatch reading.

The CCW's water meter calculator counts the average shower, including power showers, as 46 litres, based on typical usage. That sits between an electric shower and a combi mixer running for 6 minutes.

Length matters as much as type. Two extra minutes under a shower running at 15 litres a minute adds 30 litres, more than a third of a full bath.

How much water does one shower use?

One shower uses anything from about 24 to 150 litres, depending on its flow and length. An 8-minute electric shower uses about 48 litres, while 8 minutes under a power or mixer shower at 15 litres a minute uses 120.

For comparison, the CCW says a full bath uses 80 litres, and Waterwise notes that many power showers can use even more than a typical bath. A short shower usually uses less water than a bath; a long one under a strong flow may not.

If you take baths, the CCW suggests not filling the tub to the top. A shallow bath and a shorter shower both cut the hot water you pay to heat.

How much water does a UK household use?

The average person uses around 137 to 139 litres of water a day, going by figures for England and Wales. The CCW puts it at around 139 litres, and Discover Water, which reports on water companies in England and Wales, at 137 litres per person per day.

A meter makes a clear difference. In England and Wales in 2024–25, people in homes with a water meter used 122 litres a day, against 175 litres in homes without one, Discover Water reports.

Showers are a big part of the total. Waterwise says showers, toilets and baths together account for about half of household water use, and toilets alone about 25%.

For two people using 139 litres each, that's about 280 litres a day. One 8-minute electric shower each, at 48 litres, would be about a third of it.

If you have a meter, your water company's online account may show your own figures. United Utilities, for example, lets metered customers compare their use with the average.

What does shower water cost on a water meter?

Shower water costs just over half a penny a litre on a United Utilities meter in 2026–27, counting water and sewerage. That makes the water for an 8-minute electric shower about 26p, and for an 8-minute combi mixer shower about 48p.

With a meter, you pay for each cubic metre (1,000 litres) you use, plus fixed charges. For 2026–27, United Utilities charges £3.235 per cubic metre for water and £2.275 for sewerage, £5.51 in total. It says a cubic metre is the equivalent of 28 showers.

The fixed part doesn't change with your showers. United Utilities' 2026–27 standing charges are £23.66 a year for water and £2.08 for sewerage, plus separate charges for surface water and highway drainage.

Charges differ between water companies, so check your own company's charges page before you do the sums for your home.

Without a meter, your water bill doesn't rise with each shower. The CCW's tips to cut your water bill note that using water more efficiently cuts a metered bill, and that using hot water more wisely can reduce your energy bills even without a meter.

That energy is a separate cost, often of a similar size to the water. We work it out in how much a shower costs in the UK, energy included.

Should you switch to a water meter?

A water meter often suits smaller households. The CCW says you may save money if you live on your own or have more bedrooms than people, and the meter is fitted free of charge. This section covers England and Wales, where the CCW works.

• Switching back: many water companies give you up to two years to switch back if you're unhappy or not saving, the CCW says, except in water-stressed areas of England where compulsory metering has been introduced.
• Renting: you can usually apply for a meter if your tenancy is for six months or more; on a shorter one, ask your landlord first.
• Help with bills: metered customers on income-related benefits can ask their water company about WaterSure, which caps bills for those who meet the criteria.

The CCW's calculator, updated with 2026–27 charges, estimates whether a meter would save you money. Use your real household numbers rather than the averages above.

The CCW says its results are only a rough idea of a metered bill, and suggests checking whether your own water company has a calculator too. Its figures can vary with your appliances and how you use water.

Simple ways to use less water in the shower

The simplest ways to use less water in the shower are shorter showers, a water-efficient head on a mixer shower, and fixing drips and leaks. None of them needs special equipment, and the first costs nothing.

1. Take shorter showers. Thames Water says shaving two minutes off your shower saves around 20 litres of water per person every day.
2. Fit a water-efficient head to a mixer or power shower. Waterwise says low-flow heads use around 6 litres a minute, against 10 to 15 for a standard head, and the CCW suggests switching if you can. Check the flow rate a head's maker states before you buy: Waterhush is not a water-saving head and has no measured flow rate.
3. Check first if your shower is electric. Some electric shower manuals allow only the maker's own head and hose, and our kit is not for electric showers unless your shower's manufacturer confirms in writing that a filter head can be fitted to your model. We explain why electric shower manuals can restrict the heads you fit.
4. Fix drips and leaks. Waterwise says a tap dripping once a second loses over 12,000 litres a year, and a leaking toilet can waste up to 400 litres a day. If the shower itself drips, see how to fix a dripping shower head.
5. Ask for free devices. Many water companies offer free water-saving devices, the CCW says: you only need to ask.

Small cuts add up. Trimming a daily 8-minute combi mixer shower to 6 minutes saves 22 litres a day at 11 litres a minute, about 8,000 litres over a year. On a United Utilities meter, that's about £44 a year of water and sewerage.

On a meter, every litre saved lowers your water bill. With or without one, using less hot water lowers your energy bill too.

What these figures don't tell you

The figures in this guide don't tell you your own shower's flow or your household's water use. They are averages, survey answers and defaults from the CCW, Waterwise, Discover Water, Thames Water and SAP, and real showers vary.

• Your flow: a jug and a timer will tell you more than any average.
• Your habits: the eight-minute figure is what Thames Water customers said in a survey, so your own showers may be shorter or longer.
• Your bill: charges differ between water companies and usually change each April, so check your own company's.
• Where you live: most figures here cover England and Wales. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, ask your own water company.
• Our product: a filter shower head is designed to reduce free chlorine, not to save water. Waterhush reduces free chlorine; we make no water-saving claim for it and have no measured flow rate for it.

For what a filter shower head does and doesn't do, see our complete guide to filter shower heads in the UK.

The bottom line

A UK shower uses about 6 to 15 litres a minute, so roughly 48 to 120 litres in a typical 8 minutes; a full bath uses about 80. The biggest levers are the length of your shower and, on a mixer shower, the head. Time a jug to find your own flow, and if you're on a meter, check your water company's charges.