How much does a shower filter cost per year in the UK?

Shower filter cost per year is the upfront price, plus every replacement cartridge you'll need in the year, plus any delivery charges. Refills are the cost that keeps coming, so check how often the maker suggests a change, what each refill costs and whether a plan ties you in. The first year and later years differ.

This guide gives you a formula for any filter shower head, then works through our own prices for year one and the years after, with the plan terms next to every figure. For everything else about choosing one, see our complete, honest guide to filter shower heads in the UK.

We sell a filter shower head, so every price here comes with its full terms, and we don't compare other brands' prices.

Shower filter cost: the short answer

A shower filter's yearly cost is the kit price, plus the refills you need that year, plus any delivery charges. After the first year, you pay for refills only.

For our kit at the suggested change every 3 months, year one is £163.96 without a plan: £64.99 for the kit, plus three one-off refills at £32.99. With the refill plan, it is £129.96: £48.99 for the kit, then £26.99 per refill every 3 months until you cancel; no minimum term; skip or cancel online before a refill ships; we email before every charge.

All our prices include VAT and free tracked UK delivery. The sections below show every step of the arithmetic.

How to work out the yearly cost of any shower filter

The yearly cost of any shower filter depends on five things: the upfront price, the refill price, how often you change the cartridge, delivery charges and the plan terms. Work through them in this order.

1. Upfront price. Note the price of the head or kit, and whether a first cartridge is included and already fitted.
2. Refill price. Find the price of one replacement cartridge, both one-off and on any plan.
3. How often. Divide 12 by the months between changes, and in year one subtract the cartridge that came with the kit. Check whether that interval is a suggestion or a tested capacity; we explain why every cartridge schedule is an estimate.
4. Delivery. Add any delivery charge per order, including every refill order.
5. Terms. On a plan, check the minimum term, how to skip or cancel, and whether you are reminded before each charge.

Put together, year one = upfront price + (refills in year one × refill price) + delivery. Each later year = refills per year × refill price + delivery.

A change every 3 months means 3 refills in year one (at months 3, 6 and 9), then 4 a year. A change every 2 months means 5 refills in year one (at months 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10), then 6 a year. Compare products on the same number of cartridges a year, or the comparison won't be like for like.

Waterhush's prices at a glance

Waterhush sells one kit and one refill cartridge, with an optional refill plan. All prices below include VAT and free tracked UK delivery.

On every plan option, you can skip or cancel online before a refill ships, and we email before every charge.

The Waterhush Shower Kit includes the round handheld shower head with the cartridge already fitted in the handle, a 1.5 m flexible hose, a washer, PTFE tape and an instruction leaflet. Each Waterhush refill cartridge is the same cartridge, sealed in its own airtight sachet.

Delivery is free and tracked with Royal Mail: orders are dispatched the next working day, then delivery usually takes 6–10 working days. Refills are delivered the same way, at no extra charge.

Year one, worked out line by line

Year one costs more than later years because it includes the kit, and the refill plan lowers both the kit price and the refill price. The table shows both suggested rhythms, with and without the plan.

On the plan, the kit is £48.99, then £26.99 per refill every 3 months (or every 2) until you cancel; no minimum term; skip or cancel online before a refill ships; we email before every charge. Without a plan, the kit is £64.99 and each refill is £32.99.

On the plan, year one costs £34.00 less at a 3-monthly change, and £46.00 less at a 2-monthly change, than buying the same cartridges one-off. That compares our own two ways of buying, nothing else. It assumes you keep the plan all year; if you cancel sooner, you simply buy fewer refills.

The box of two changes the timing. Its first box ships at 3 months and the next at 9 months. Year one on that rhythm is £48.99 + 2 × £49.99 = £148.97, with boxes at £49.99 every 6 months until you cancel and no minimum term. That buys four refills, one more than a 3-monthly change uses in year one, so the spare carries into year two.

Year two onwards: what refills cost per year

From year two, a shower filter's yearly cost is refills only: the number of refills times the refill price. The rhythm you choose makes the biggest difference.

On the plan, you can skip or cancel online before a refill ships, and we email before every charge.

The box of two works out at just under £25 per cartridge (£99.98 for four a year), on the same plan terms. It suits a change every 3 months, and it is a delivery rhythm, not a 6-month cartridge: each box holds two cartridges for two 3-month changes.

How does the refill plan work?

The refill plan is a shower filter subscription that sends the same cartridge on the rhythm you choose, until you cancel. There is no minimum term: you can skip, change your rhythm or cancel online before a refill ships, and we email before every charge.

• It is optional. The kit on its own is the default; the plan is only added if you choose it.
• First refill. It ships 3 months after your kit, or 2 months on the 2-month rhythm; the first box of two also ships at 3 months.
• Reminders. We email you before every charge.
• Changes. Skip a delivery, change your rhythm or cancel online before the next refill ships.

The refill plan page shows every rhythm side by side and links to the full terms.

Your legal 14-day right to cancel works as it does for most goods bought online. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (regulation 30), the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the goods come into your physical possession.

Our returns policy covers the details, including how unused and used refills are treated.

Is a filter shower head worth the cost?

Whether a filter shower head is worth the cost depends on one question: does reducing free chlorine in your shower matter to you? That is what a filter shower head is designed to do, and it is the only claim we make for ours.

A filter shower head is a preference, not a necessity. The DWI's guide to chlorine in tap water says water companies typically keep the residual disinfectant at 0.5 mg/l or less, and that at these very low levels chlorine is perfectly safe to drink.

Whether shower filters do their job in real use is a fair question too, and what the evidence really says about shower filters looks at it closely.

A filter shower head is not a water softener, and it does not remove limescale. The DWI's guide to water hardness explains that hardness is dissolved calcium and magnesium, so if limescale is what bothers you, the cost to look at is a softener's, not a filter's.

If you are comparing products, use the formula above with the same number of cartridges a year, and check whether each change interval is a suggestion or a tested capacity. The DWI's guidance on home water filters also advises being wary of claims made when buying online.

Finally, the kit needs a shower with a hose outlet, and electric showers are not confirmed: check your shower manufacturer's manual. Is it right for your shower? Check in three questions.

What these figures don't tell you

The yearly figures in this guide are a budget, not a verdict: they can't tell you whether a filter shower head suits your shower or your priorities.

• They rest on a suggestion. A change every 3 months, or every 2 for households of two or more, is a suggestion, not a promise of how long a cartridge lasts.
• They cover one brand. We don't compare other brands; use the formula with any product's own prices and terms.

Use them to budget, then decide on the question that matters: whether reducing free chlorine in your shower is worth that sum to you.

The bottom line

A shower filter's yearly cost is its upfront price plus every refill you need that year, plus any delivery; after year one, you pay for refills only. Our figures rest on a suggested schedule, not a promise of how long a cartridge lasts. A filter shower head is designed to reduce free chlorine, not to soften water. Compare like with like using the formula, and check the kit fits your shower first.