A bathroom heater is a handy appliance that can help keep your bathroom warm and toasty during cold months. It also helps remove excess moisture and odour, preventing mould and mildew from forming.
To find the right model for your needs, consider if you want a simple bathroom heater, an exhaust fan option or a model with a fan, heater and light. These options come in different sizes and prices, with 3-in-1 bathroom heaters being more expensive than simple fan-only heaters. You might also want to consider the durability, ease of use and safety features before purchase.
The team at Finder looked at numerous bathroom heaters from online retailers like Amazon, Harvey Norman, Kogan and The Lighting Outlet to find the top products for different purposes and price points. We considered customer ratings and reviews when picking options for this list. We also chose bathroom heaters for each category based on their key product features.
Featuring durable IR lamps for instant heating, this Midas heater offers a very high airflow extraction of up to 270m³ per hour. It comes with a wall controller with 4 switches for heat, light and fan adjustment. For safety, it also has a thermal cut-out feature.
Customers praised the product's ease of use, value for money and versatility. It is easy to install and comes with a cut-out template for convenience. Users said it heats up quickly, ensuring the entire bathroom is warm and cosy even on the coldest night. It's not the most stylish bathroom heater there is, but it's a pretty decent option if you're on a budget.
When it comes to the best 3-in-1 option, we recommend the Ventair Sahara Exhaust Fan with Fan Forced Heater & LED Light. On The Lighting Outlet, it has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars.
The Sahara is a versatile bathroom heater featuring an LED light with linear vents and fan-powered heating technology. It quickly circulates warmth around the bathroom, ensuring you are cosy on cold days. During the summer, the unit's fan operates independently and adds cool air to the room.
This exhaust fan is the most expensive option on the list. Despite this, it remains a top pick for customers looking for year-round ventilation for their bathrooms. It has a 380 m3 per hour extraction capacity to ensure the area is clean and dry, preventing mildew and mould growth. Users said it also looks sleek and blends into any bathroom aesthetic. It's a bit of a pain to install and requires a licensed electrician, but this seems to be a minor concern.
With a rating of 4 out of 5 stars on the brand's official website, we chose Kogan's Portable Ceramic Fan Heater as the best portable option for bathrooms.
Kogan's Portable Ceramic Fan Heater features a sleek cylindrical case with an LED thermostat and control panel for ease of use. It uses PTC ceramic. Technology and wide-angle oscillation to efficiently heat a small bathroom or home office. With 2 heat settings, it also produces a heat output of up to 1,200W with a temperature range of 15°C to 37°C.
Customers praised the product's ease of use, sleek design and value for money. Despite its affordable price tag and small footprint, this little number packs a punch offering a cosy warmth in 4 minutes. Users were also impressed by its durable build and versatility. Several users said this also works particularly well for heating a small camper van. It doesn't have a remote and it's a bit noisier than other bathroom heaters, but these seem to be minor issues for most buyers.
How do Australians rate Kogan's heaters?
86% of surveyed Australians recommend Kogan
4.4
Value for money
4.2
Overall
4.3
Performance
4.4
Ease of use
4
Cleaning and maintenance
4
Product features
How Kogan compares
In the 2023 Finder Retail Awards, we surveyed over 34,000 Australians about their retail purchases to discover which were their favourite brands across 170 product categories and over 1,200 total brands.
For heaters, Kogan was ranked 2nd for value for money, 3rd for performance, 3rd for ease of use, 8th for cleaning and maintenance and 5th for product features.
12 brands were rated across these decision criteria.
This slimline bathroom fan has a clean, modern design that blends into any bathroom aesthetic. Along with a suite of easy-to-use programmable functions, customers call out how powerful and effective it is at heating large bathrooms. This is why it's our winner for the best bathroom fan heater.
Touchscreen controls make this a dream to use and are positioned at the very top of the machine in line with its minimalist design.
While you can manually adjust the temperature, for a more hands-off and energy efficient approach, set-up auto mode. When on, this fantastic little feature automatically heats the bathroom to your ideal temperature when you're around and reduces it to an ambient temperature when you're not.
Other handy features include a towel rail at its base for warm toasty towels (hurrah!) and a timer to turn it on at a select hour.
For the best energy-efficient bathroom heater, we picked the Winterwarm WWDF20E Downflow Electric Bathroom Fan Heater, which has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon. This model is also one of our picks for the best electric heaters you can buy right now in Australia.
This Winterwarm heater provides rapid warmth and an adjustable heat output at installation. It runs for about 30 minutes before switching off. But you can reactivate it by pulling its easy-to-use pull cord. With 2,000W of power, this can quickly heat a small bathroom.
With a mechanical control and wall-mounted design, this fan heater is an affordable and energy-efficient option if you're on a budget. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of higher-end models, it remains a favourite among Amazon customers. It warms up bathrooms without energy costs running through the roof and features a durable build with an IP22 rating.
How did we pick this list?
14 Brands considered
75 Products compared
5 Best products chosen
Why you can trust our picks
Our team looked into hundreds of bathroom heaters listed in various online retailers like Amazon, The Lighting Outlet and Harvey Norman. We evaluated models from the following brands:
Airflow
Brilliant
Contour
Forme
Goldair
Kogan
Martec
Midas
Profile
Thermo
Vapour
Ventair
Vesuvius
Winterwarm
We narrowed down our choices based on customer ratings and reviews (as of July 2022). We also considered each model's key product features, including value for money, durability, heating efficiency and safety functions. We came up with what we believe are the 6 best bathroom heaters you can get right now in Australia.
Types of bathroom heaters
There are tons of bathroom heaters available in the market. They also come in many shapes and sizes, which makes shopping for the best model a bit confusing. To help with your buying decision, we've listed the most popular ones:
Ceiling bathroom heater. This is the most popular type of bathroom heater available. It doesn't take up much space and can be reinstalled elsewhere. However, installation can be complicated.
Wall bathroom heaters. Wall options are attached to the wall using a hook or permanent screws. They provide efficient heating at an affordable cost.
Portable bathroom heater. It is small and easy to carry around. It is also ideal for rented apartments as it doesn't require any installation. However, it may be too weak for medium and large bathrooms.
3-in-1 bathroom heater. This has the functionality of a heater, light and fan to ensure your bathroom is clean and warm during winter. However, it tends to be more expensive than other options.
Exhaust fan with heater. An exhaust fan with a heater is a great option for year-round use. It warms the bathroom by circulating hot air during the winter and produces cool air to keep the area dry during summer.
What to consider when buying a portable bathroom heater
Bathroom size
Consider how much wattage your heater needs to warm your bathroom. Generally the larger the bathroom, the higher the wattage to sufficiently heat it. You might also wish to consider the size of your heater and how much room you can spare in your bathroom for it.
Budget
Bathroom heaters can cost from $50 to upwards of $900. Depending on what type of heater you purchase you should also consider installation costs. Portable options are cheaper and don't require installation, but they may not be enough for larger bathrooms.
Type
Choose between ceiling, wall or portable heaters. Ceiling and wall heaters need to be installed, while portable options are easy to carry around. Also consider if you want a bathroom heater with added features like an exhaust fan and light.
Waterproofing
Opt for a bathroom heater with adequate waterproofing. Most bathroom heaters will have an IP22 rating which means that it is safe against dripping water when tilted less than 15 degrees, but must be installed at least 60cm away from a bath or shower. Note that experts suggest that IP65 is best for electrical fixtures in the bath.
Quietness
Pick a heater with a relatively quiet operation, especially for smaller bathrooms.
Functions
What functions and controls do you personally want? Popular controls include a thermostat, timer and remote control.
Safety tips
Follow these tips to make sure your bathroom heater is safely and properly operated:
Don't place your bathroom heater near or in the tub, sink or shower.
Never leave your heater running unattended.
Avoid towels, bath products and other objects from obstructing the heater's airflow.
Make sure your ceiling or wall heater is installed properly by a licensed electrician.
Keep portable heaters at least 60cm away from the tub, sink or shower. Even if they are marketed as waterproof, portable heaters still pose safety risks.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you should never leave a bathroom heater on overnight.
You can place your bathroom heater in the ceiling, wall or countertop provided it is at a safe distance from the tub, sink, shower and other water sources. If it has an IP22 rating this should be 60cm or more from the shower or bath.
Combined with a regular cleaning schedule, a bathroom heater can help keep your bathroom in its best condition. It helps remove moisture in the air, preventing mould and mildew growth.
Why you can trust Finder Shopping best guides
We're knowledgeable
Our editorial team has decades of experience testing and comparing products. We only use experienced journalists with proven track records.
We're comprehensive
We assess hundreds of products for each guide to ensure you're getting a full overview of the market. All guides are regularly reviewed and fact-checked.
We don't cut corners
Selections are based on our own research, comparisons and testing. We do not use automation software or AI. Every best guide follows a stringent methodology.
Ericka Pingol is a writer for Finder specialising in reviews. She has previously written articles about property investment, finances, and health. She’s a huge fan of Tina Fey, bubble teas and dogs. Ericka has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of the East, Manila and is currently writing her thesis for a Master’s degree in Communication
From the best portable option to the top model for bathrooms, these are the 9 best electric heaters you can get online.
Feedback
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
findershopping.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
14
75
5
