Because the regeneration process is controlled electronically, there may be occasions when the softener regenerates before it needs to. It does not make allowances for unexpected fluctuations in water usage such as when you’re on holiday or have visitors to stay. This preset condition can result in times when you would be without softened water for a period of time.

An electric softener will require a mains electric supply in order to work and this may limit where it can be installed.

Some electronic water softener controllers can provide additional features such as accurate water hardness set up, ability to optimise salt settings, show historical data (amount of water used, number of regenerations etc), and diagnosis information. 

Some models use Wi-Fi technology enabling you to monitor salt usage via a smartphone app.

All electronic models will incur additional cost for the electric units used to power them.