At about 1000 shaves per penny, an electric shaver is actually cheaper than heating up water for a soap-and-blade shave. Shaver sockets - familiar to us from hotel bathrooms - are the only sockets you are allowed to have in bathrooms. Inside them are transformers, which isolate the 'user side' of the units from the 'mains' so they cannot cause an electric shock.

A shaver socket for installation in a bathroom must conform to British standards BS 3535. Other shaver sockets are available for use in bedrooms but must never be installed in a bathroom, so check first before you buy one. Shaver units can be wired to a spur on a ring circuit or to a junction box on an earthed lighting circuit. If your lighting circuit is not earthed, seek professional advice regarding up-dating your wiring.