Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Is 80 litres enough for a shower in one bathroom?

Updated: 21 October 2026

Is 80 litres enough for a shower in a one-bathroom flat or a two-person home? The useful answer is the busy hour, not the average day. Eighty litres can suit you when showers do not overlap and nobody expects a full bath as well. It is the wrong store when a bath and another draw both happen before the tank recovers. Peter F. used published rules of thumb, not a draw-off test of the five heaters in our [80 litre hot water cylinder comparison](/hub/hot-water/80-litre-hot-water-cylinder). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This page does not choose an ASIN for the bathroom.

Is 80 litres enough for a shower in a one-bathroom flat or a two-person home? The useful answer is the busy hour, not the average day.

Our top picks

TESY TESY 80 litre BiLight vertical

Best overall

TESY TESY 80 litre BiLight vertical
8.8/10about £234.99
View offer
Eldom Eldom Spectra 80 litre

Best value

Eldom Eldom Spectra 80 litre
8.6/10about £189.00
View offer
TESY TESY BiLight 80 litre horizontal

Rank 3

TESY TESY BiLight 80 litre horizontal
0.0/10about £229.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Size the busy hour
  2. 2.Two rules of thumb that do not match
  3. 3.Recovery is the hidden limit
  4. 4.What to do if the answer is no

Size the busy hour

The Hot Water Association’s rule of thumb equates one bath to about 60 litres stored at 60°C. That can empty most of an 80 litre store, so a shower straight afterwards waits on recovery. The same note’s shower example is about 11 litres a minute of 60°C water. It is an example, not a test of these heaters. Stay at 80 litres when showers do not overlap and there is no daily full bath.

Two rules of thumb that do not match

The Hot Water Association allows about 35 to 45 litres stored per person, so two people land around 70 to 90 litres and 80 litres sits in that band. Baxi’s rule of thumb is about 60 litres per person, which puts 80 litres near one person. Neither is BS 6700, and neither was measured on these ASINs. Modern Heat’s retailer table puts routine showers for two nearer 80–120 litres, and regular baths nearer 120–150 litres. If one of you baths most days, the higher figures point away from 80 litres. Mixing at the valve makes 60°C water go further, and winter mains are colder, so the mixed volume falls.
TESY TESY 80 litre BiLight vertical

Testsieger

TESY TESY 80 litre BiLight vertical
8.8/10about £234.99
View offer

Recovery is the hidden limit

On a 2 kW element, a rule of thumb is about 2.1 hours to raise 80 litres through 45 degrees, losses ignored. The catalogue time of 2 hours 8 minutes is for a named 2,000 W TESY, not every listing. The Eldom states 2 kW. The plain TESY power field is unusable. The horizontal card prints 3,000 W, and a retailer row prints 2,000 W. Do not book back-to-back showers on a cold start. Store hot water at least at 60°C, and aim for about 50°C at outlets within a minute. That is Health and Safety Executive guidance. One Eldom attribute line says 40°C. A seller line of 24 minutes does not cancel that two-hour recovery.

What to do if the answer is no

If the busy hour includes a bath, or two showers that must overlap, leave this category for a larger store. Do not stretch 80 litres with a three-person bullet. If the volume is acceptable, these five listings are still direct electric stores. An indirect cylinder on a boiler is a different machine at the same 80 litres. The best in this set page is the shortlist once you have accepted the volume. It does not change the recovery time. A landlord also has a stored-water temperature policy, and Approved Code of Practice L8 where the premises are work-related.

Common questions

What if one of us has a bath?
A bath is the use that makes 80 litres small. The Hot Water Association equates one bath to about 60 litres stored at 60°C. That is most of the tank. A shower straight afterwards is waiting on recovery, not on spare capacity. If a bath is a regular part of the busy hour, look at a larger cylinder category rather than hoping the element catches up in the time you are still in the bathroom.
Does mixing at the shower make 80 litres go further?
Yes, compared with running the hot tap flat out. Stored water near 60°C is mixed with cold at the valve, so the tank’s litres cover more shower time than the same litres used unmixed. Winter mains are colder, and Modern Heat’s planning note says the mixed volume then falls. A summer shower that felt generous is not a January guarantee. The effect is real, and it is not a reason to add a bath on top.
Why do the guides disagree between 35 litres and 60 litres a person?
They are different rules of thumb. The Hot Water Association says about 35 to 45 litres stored per person. Baxi says about 60 litres per person. Modern Heat’s retailer table sits between them and splits shower-led homes from bath-led homes. None of them measured these five ASINs. Use your routine: staggered showers can sit in the lower band, and a daily bath pushes you toward the higher one. Quoting only the number that fits the heater you already like is how people undersize.
Will a 2 kW element catch up before the next person?
From a cold or heavily drawn tank, plan on about 2.1 hours for an 80 litre lift through 45 degrees at 2 kW, losses ignored. That will not finish between two people getting ready in the same quarter of an hour. A half-drawn tank recovers sooner, and this page has no lab figure for a half draw. If you need the second shower inside that quarter-hour, 80 litres on 2 kW is the wrong plan.
Is the three-person bullet on the horizontal TESY a sizing standard?
No. The horizontal TESY listing says up to three people and 24 minutes of hot water between reheats. That is the seller’s sentence. It is not the Hot Water Association’s 35 to 45 litres a person, and it is not Baxi’s 60 litres a person. A horizontal shell is also the orientation trade pages treat as giving less usable hot water. Do not use the bullet to house three people from an 80 litre store.

Related pages

80 litre buying guide

Installation checks

80 litre hot water cylinder

Best 80 litre hot water cylinder: a short shortlist

Vertical or horizontal hot water cylinder: which fits

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these five listings were taken from the listing files read on 20 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. Approved Document G (2024 amendments) (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Approved Document P (2013) (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. HSE hot and cold water (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. HSE cylinder checks (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Retained Regulation 812/2013 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK energy labelling of products (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Hot Water Association sizing (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. TESY BiLight 80 datasheet (retrieved 20 October 2026)