crazy idea/ question about central heating

[mrmarcus]

I am just wondering could you run your central heating from a 10kw shower unit? Maybe slight mods required like adding a pump or expansion tank or one way valves etc but in principle is it possible and how much would it cost relative to a gas to run?

[duncancallum]

Anything with a heater element costs a bomb to run. your electric bill would be huge.

So big infact the police would be round thinking you were growing something you shouldnt.

[Laurel Green]

There already is such a thing on the market - Google electric central heating.

[JustinP1]

mrmarcus said:

I am just wondering could you run your central heating from a 10kw shower unit? Maybe slight mods required like adding a pump or expansion tank or one way valves etc but in principle is it possible and how much would it cost relative to a gas to run?

Are you Wallace or Grommit?

Are you going to get mice to pump the water around?

[mrmarcus]

JustinP1 said:

mrmarcus said:

I am just wondering could you run your central heating from a 10kw shower unit? Maybe slight mods required like adding a pump or expansion tank or one way valves etc but in principle is it possible and how much would it cost relative to a gas to run?

Are you Wallace or Grommit?

Are you going to get mice to pump the water around?

haha perhaps you should have gone to specsavers, i did mention adding a pump and anyway being a 10kw it would most likely be a power shower and have an internal pump already!

[caziques]

You can get electric boilers for central heating, but very expensive to run in the UK.

The solution can be a hot water heat pump, a 10kW output unit could consume say 2kW - however you can't convert a conventional radiator system.

[Kevp]

Can easily be done. There are similar units used to heat up ponds (normally only 3KW).

Some heat pumps also have a 3, 6 or bigger electric heater in them for faster initial heat up.

But it will probably be useless, unless in a small flat or similar. I have never seen an electric shower with a pump built in (doesn't mean there isn't one).
It would need 2 electrical feeds, 1 for shower & 1 for pump, stat, timer(?). Also the water flow may be to slow for the heater.
And I don't believe showers are rated for long periods of use.
Would cost approx £1 per hour.