Small bathroom heater

Sammyg

Hi all

I wonder if I can ask for a
some much needed advice here, I have a small bathroom which tends to get really cold, so much so I dread getting undress for the shower, as there are no radiators in there at all, all I have to heat this room is a very old standalone small electric fan heater , which stands on the laundry basket, it’s at least 25 years old but it still works perfectly, but I have recently come to think these fan heaters are not very energy efficient, is this the case, if so what heater would you suggest? 

fatbelly

Perching a fan heater on a laundry basket doesnt sound safe. I wouldn't worry about energy efficiency. You just want quick heat safely.

You can get one of these for £60 and get an electrician to wire it in

https://www.screwfix.com/p/winterwarm-2000w-electric-wall-mounted-downflow-fan-heater/409fv

Sammyg

fatbelly said:

Perching a fan heater on a laundry basket doesnt sound safe. I wouldn't worry about energy efficiency. You just want quick heat safely.

You can get one of these for £60 and get an electrician to wire it in

https://www.screwfix.com/p/winterwarm-2000w-electric-wall-mounted-downflow-fan-heater/409fv

Thank you fatbelly, the laundry basket is quite solid, the top is similar to a table top otherwise I wouldn’t put it there 

QrizB

Sammyg said:

... I have recently come to think these fan heaters are not very energy efficient, is this the case, if so what heater would you suggest?

A fan heater is just as efficient as any other direct electric heater. It turns 100% of the electricity into heat. However running a freestanding fan heater in a bathroom isn't very safe and the sort of permanently-installed heater that fatbelly has linked to is a much better idea.

For a bathroom, you really have two options. You can heat the room rapidly but only when you need to use it, as you currently do (but preferably using a proper bathroom heater). Or you can heat it slowly, but all the time. For the second option something like an electric towel rail is commonly chosen. The second option will give a more pleasant bathroom (as it will be warm as soon as you arrive, and remain that way after you leave) but will probably use more electricity in total, and cost more.

Grumpy_chap

The OP may find this thread worth reviewing:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81219482

Stubod

..we have an electric towel radiator on a timer, and also a wall mounted fan heater. The towel rail keeps the "chill off" and warms the towels and costs peanuts to run. The wall mounted fan heater warms the bathroom in a matter of minutes, and is only on during cold days, and then only for the time it is needed......probably a lot cheaper and more "effective" than leaving a radiator on for 24 hours..??

Gerry1

Dripping wet, barefoot and touching a live electrical device.  What could possibly go wrong?

Clue: If you don't have circuit breakers, use a plug-in one such as this.

mmmmikey

Hi, I use an infrared heater in my bathroom which has the advantage of radiating heat like the sun and being directional, meaning you get the full benefit of the warmth within a few seconds of switching it on. The temperature can get down to 14C in there at shower time but I find it works really well, particularly in a small room. I also have a fan heater on a timer which I run for half an hour overnight to avoid any damp problems. 

daveyjp

Changing it for efficiency purposes is a false economy as a modern heater of the same wattage will cost exactly the same to run.

Sammyg

daveyjp said:

Changing it for efficiency purposes is a false economy as a modern heater of the same wattage will cost exactly the same to run.

🤔 thank you Dave that’s very useful, as i always wondered this 

Sammyg

Gerry1 said:

Dripping wet, barefoot and touching a live electrical device.  What could possibly go wrong?

Clue: If you don't have circuit breakers, use a plug-in one such as this.

It is for this reason that I would switch it off beforehand of course, just switching it on to warm the bathroom up