Bathroom Heaters - Toasty Warmth At Affordable Prices

Tired of dreading your morning shower because stepping out of your shower is more like stepping into an icebox? You don't need to suffer in your own bathroom any longer. Whether your home is old or new, many homeowners complain that their bathrooms are cold. Modern homes with forced air heating systems often have heating units that don't have the 'umpf' to get the warm air to where the bathroom is. Older homes can be drafty and not well insulated which can be the cause of chilly bathrooms. The addition of a simple bathroom heater can make all the difference in your family's comfort level when using the lavatory. Best of all, these bathroom heaters are energy efficient because you only need to run them when you need them.

Things to consider when shopping for bathroom heaters

Before deciding on a particular type of heater, take an objective look at your bathroom. Is it large or small? Are you bathroom Ceilings high or standard height? Does you bathroom have sufficient room on the floor for a free standing bathroom heater? Do you need to be creative on placement of the heating unit and consider a wall or ceiling mounted unit? The last thing you want is to be tripping over an inconveniently placed unit. Fortunately, styles have come a long way and are offered in a variety of styles and functions.

How to determine the right sized heater for your bathroom:

Bathroom heaters come in a lot of different wattages. Measure your bathroom to get the approximate square footage of your room as most heaters are manufactured with a specific wattage rating to heat a recommended square footage. Here is a good guideline to follow: Figure you'll need about 10 watts per square foot. If your room measures 12 X 12 then your room is 144 sq. ft. So 144 Sq. Ft x 10 watts tells you you'll need about a 1500 watt heater to sufficiently heat your bathroom.

Wall mounted heaters fit flush into your wall and can save you a lot of space. They usually come in 120 or 240 volt styles, and many even come with convenient timers and self regulating thermostats. Ceiling heaters are another great space saving option. They mount flush into your ceiling and have a wall switch to turn the unit on and off. Bulb heaters often are coupled with an exhaust fan and come in styles ranging from 1 to 4 bulbs. Each bulb is between 250-270 watts. Separate wall switches control the heater and the exhaust fan. Baseboard heat is a traditional, dependable heating method that has been available for a long time and is available in units ranging from 500-1200 watts.

Should I install my new bathroom heater myself or hire a professional?

It's recommended if you are not skilled with installing electrical appliances or fixtures, that you hire a professional electrician to perform your bathroom heater installations. A professional electrician who is familiar with bathroom heaters will look out for thing you might miss, like whether the unit can come into contact with wall insulation and the recommended best installation height and location. The professional installer has probably seen hundreds of bathrooms and knows best where these units will benefit from optimal placement.

Although technically not considered a bathroom heater, a luxurious accessory that can be added to your bathroom is an electric wall mounted towel warmer. Many of these units plug into an existing wall outlet and some are even floor standing models. These units gently warm your bath towels on demand so your towel is toasty warm when you step out of your warm shower or bath.

Portable bathroom heaters are another non-permanent installation option. Just like a space heater, it can be plugged into any standard outlet and moved as needed. These units also come with a self regulating thermostat that will turn the heating element off when the room reaches the designated temperature. These units are ultra-affordable at prices right around $40. Recently, wall mounted heaters that plug into a traditional outlet have become available from specialty retailers like Brookstone. While these units may not have the power of a permanently installed unit, their pricing and transportability make them an option to consider. These units are also a smart choice if you are renting an apartment or home and don't want to or are not permitted to add a permanent fixture in your bathroom wall or ceiling.

With the variety of models available, it is easy to find bathroom heaters to fit any sized bathroom or budget. Prices can range from units prices as low as $100 to towel warmers over $500. Getting a good deal on a bathroom heater is as easy as doing your homework and shopping around. Many on-line retailers offer discount like free shipping on these types of heaters. So stop freezing and start enjoying a bathroom heaters toasty warmth.

Gerrard Furman is a carpenter and home renovation expert. One of his specialties is bathroom redesign and he loves to research and write about the latest technology in bathroom heaters, including both portable bathroom heaters as well as, bathroom heaters wall mounted design. Visit his site anytime for some great ideas and inspiration

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