Installing an Exhaust Fan or Heater for Your Bathroom

Should You Install an Exhaust Fan or Heater for Your Bathroom?

Sometimes a room with an exhaust fan also needs a heater as strange as it may seem. Many bathrooms are cold simply because they lack a heater when it is cold outside. You can improve your cold and drafty bathroom by replacing the existing exhaust fan with a combo unit that has both a fan and heater.This is often the case if you have a drafty bathroom that gets gust of air where you want proper ventilation to keep the indoor air fresh and also stop the accumulation of mildew-causing moisture. In the winter months, you have two options:

  • Add a separate heating unit
  • Install a WhisperWarm unit that combines the exhaust fan with a heater.

Industrial Exhaust Fan

2013-07-16
(Photo from markpeterson1)
The benefit of the WhisperWarm unit is that it contains a built-in damper to prevent backdraft and outside air moving back into the fan and into the room.

DIY vs Hiring a Contractor

To replace an existing bathroom vent with a new unit that combines venting and heating, an electrician will charge about $300, which includes the unit and its installation. If you have electrical skills and tools, you can do the bathroom heater replacement for about $200, the cost of the unit, and pocket a 46 percent saving. If there's not an existing vent and you need to run new electrical wiring, this will be more expensive. In that case a licensed electrician will be needed.