Hot Water Runs Out Too Quickly in Showers - anyone else?

Is this a problem exclusive to modern flats? The shower in my SO's flat has enough piping hot water for about 15 minutes (20 if I am very lucky). The water heater is this rectangular box in a closet in the flat. I'm told that this is their way of being "green" or saving...something.

But is this abnormal or should it last much longer? He's already had a plumber come "repair" what could be repaired.

There's also a non-mixer tap in the bathroom and the flat was built in 2008. It's hard to wash my face with boiling water in one hand and cold water in the other.  I'm so overwhelmed with how inconvenient it all is. Are British people used to this?

But is this abnormal or should it last much longer? He's already had a plumber come "repair" what could be repaired.

15 mins, that's not so bad! I've lived in houses where you bearly get 3 -4 mins of hot water. I think you need to a hot water heater that is a large tank to take super long hot showers. I'm currently in a house with one and it's great because we can all get our showers in the morning. But honestly, the only time I've had good luck with showers here is when I've been living in a large house or shared accommodation. I think this is why so many Brits have baths.

There's also a non-mixer tap in the bathroom and the flat was built in 2008. It's hard to wash my face with boiling water in one hand and cold water in the other.  I'm so overwhelmed with how inconvenient it all is. Are British people used to this?

There's an epic thread about this somewhere on this board. I think you just have to learn to adjust your face washing routine to filling up the basin with water to the correct temp - or continue with the alternate freeze and burn. Of course you can get a mixer tap installed. We have one in the kitchen, but not the bathrooms unfortunatly.

I think I'd get bored in the shower for 15 minutes!! What are you doing in there all that time?!?!

My husband sings opera in the shower when he takes his epic ones.  He's never bored.

And, yes, short showers save on water and gas/electric to heat it (obviously).  If you're taking long showers because your hair routine or shaving your legs, you can shut the water off while you shave and let the conditioner sit in your hair during that time.

ETA: I am not sure where you are in the UK, but a big chunk of it is in drought (despite all the rain we've been having recently).  Most of us are under a hose ban and we're desalinating sea water at this point.  I am not sure if people are going to be keen on telling you how to draw your showers out more.  Just saying.

Not a modern flat thing, but rather your particular type of boiler thing. My flat was build in 2006ish and I've got a gas-combi boiler and I always have hot water, on demand!  If you own your flat, you can look at changing your boiler type - or get an on demand electric shower?

If you're taking long showers because your hair routine or shaving your legs, you can shut the water off while you shave and let the conditioner sit in your hair during that time.

This! Having grown up in a house in which there were 6 of us and a boiler that had hot water last about oh 2 minutes, I learned to multi-task very quickly in the shower and turn off the tap when shaving, etc.  
I also grew up without mixer taps- so I never understand why people struggle with them.  In your own house especially, just fill up the basin to the temperature you want!

It will cost a lot to change to a combi boiler (those are great... you're so lucky, PB!), but an electric power shower will cost around £300-ish.   That might work for you.

It will cost a lot to change to a combi boiler (those are great... you're so lucky, PB!), but an electric power shower will cost around £300-ish.   That might work for you.

I thought power showers shot out much more water much faster. Wouldn't that mean she'd have even shorter showers?

The one at the inlaws didn't.  It just heated it on demand from a box where the temperature control/water tap was in the shower.  It just looked like a really large, boxy normal shower and behaved that way other than the hot water not running out.

It always made me a bit nervous, but that's because I didn't grow up with them.

I think this is quite old fashioned, having a water heater. Modern Combi Boilers will give you instant hot water, and will last as long as you want. I like a long hot shower, but its a weekend thing for me.

I thought power showers shot out much more water much faster. Wouldn't that mean she'd have even shorter showers?

But don't electric showers heat the water as you use them, so you're not limited to a finite amount of hot water? The water will stay hot for as long as the shower is switched on.

We have a combi boiler and the water isn't instantly hot.  I have to run the water sometimes up to a minute before it runs hot.  It's not an old boiler or broken.  It's a few years old, but my landlord probably bought it on the cheap.  We don't generally run out of hot water though.

It does, however cause me to always have to remind my husband not to run the hot taps for short bursts.  He's not getting hot water, and the boiler protests as it gets shut off and on, off and on.  About 80% of the time I wash my hands with cold water.  It's probably a good thing considering the amount of times I wash my hands in a day.

But don't electric showers heat the water as you use them, so you're not limited to a finite amount of hot water? The water will stay hot for as long as the shower is switched on.

Yes.

But don't electric showers heat the water as you use them, so you're not limited to a finite amount of hot water? The water will stay hot for as long as the shower is switched on.

Oh, you're right. Sorry. I was thinking "power shower" rather than "electric shower".

I think this is quite old fashioned, having a water heater. Modern Combi Boilers will give you instant hot water, and will last as long as you want. I like a long hot shower, but its a weekend thing for me.

I'm not sure about that. I lived in a very old, small cottage and had a combi boiler. But we moved into this house, all the plumbers advised us that a combi boiler isn't a good idea for a large house, so we have a biggish tank and heater.

I do know that I'm far less wasteful with water now that I no longer have the combi and that's a good thing.

I'm in the States and in our apartment we get about 15 minutes of hot water before it turns cold.  Luckily, DH's schedule and mine are shifted a bit, so we don't need to take showers one after the other.  I also don't tend to take showers lasting more than about 10 minutes unless I'm shaving, but that only makes my shower about 15 minutes anyway, so I'm usually done just as the water starts getting cold.   

However, in Hull, my BIL's house is the opposite.  They constantly seem to have hot water (not sure what boiler or type of shower they actually have, but we were all able to take showers fairly close in timing).

I love our combi-boiler but I too have to run the water for a couple of minutes before its warm. We never have run out of hot water though. I always take quick showers anyway. I got used to it from my old house in the States. We had water off of our oil fired boiler and if the heat were on, we got VERY little hot water. If you didn't get washed and rinsed in 4 minutes, you were in for a cold rinse!

Combi boilers are great but anyone thinking of switching, be warned - get a good one!!! If you get one that's on offer or a little cheaper, it may not have the capacity for your house and you have to end up running the water really slowly to get it hot enough to fill a bathtub.

Trust me, I have suffered from experience!