Best Bathroom Heater Reviews UK 2023 – Which Is the Hottest Pick?

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

Our Favourites

Editors Choice: Wärme 2000W
Lightweight Choice: Futura 1000W
Choice with 24/7 Timer: Purus Intelligent 400W

Getting out of a hot shower into a freezing cold bathroom is pretty unpleasant. And if you don’t have heating in your bathroom, this will be a regular struggle during the winter months. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Get yourself the best bathroom heater in the UK and it will transform your chilly, unwelcoming bathroom into a wonderful, warming haven.

However, with so much choice available, it’s tough to find the right bathroom heater for your needs. Remember, you cannot use just any heater in a bathroom, as the combination of water and electricity is highly dangerous. Therefore it’s critical that you buy a specialised model designed for this purpose.

In this article, we bring you the top 7 bathroom heaters on the market and an in-depth buying guide, to help you to make the right choice for your bathroom!

How We Compared Bathroom Heaters

To find the right bathroom heaters we considered multiple factors including:

• Heat Output
• Safety Standards
• Portable or Wall Mounted
• Energy Efficiency

Our team planned comparison points and specifically looked for products that would cater to all kinds of needs. We spent countless hours researching, consulting customer reviews and comparing features to come up with this list.

To find out more about our process please see here.

Best Bathroom Heater Reviews – Top 7 Picks

1. Wärme 2000W (Editor’s Choice)

Thanks to its high performance and sleek, modern design, the Wärme Electric Heater is our favourite wall mounted bathroom heater.

Its streamlined form takes up minimal space making it a great choice if your bathroom is on the small side, while its 2000W output is recommended for rooms as large as 22 square metres. Most importantly, it is waterproof and IP22 compliant.

This bathroom wall heater comes complete with a mounting kit, so you’ll be able to fix it to your wall within minutes. Unfortunately, the instructions provided are a little complicated and programming it is rather complex until you get the hang of it.

It has a convenient programmable weekly cycle, but equally, you can just use the instant heat mode and benefit from its speedy heating performance. The inbuilt thermostat works very well. However, you may want to set the temperature a little higher than you need as it requires a five-degree drop in temperature for the heater to come back on. It also comes with a child lock, making this a great choice for families with small children.

2. Futura 1000W (Best Lightweight)

This stylish, curved-corner bathroom heater by Futura will look great in any bathroom. It has a modern circular control panel complete with thermostat, 24/7 programming and open window detection.

It quickly heats any room up to 12 square metres in size and provides a temperature set range of 5°C to 50°C. Freestanding with feet included or wall-mounted, it is IP24 rated thanks to its splash-proof design.

The electric Futura panel intelligent heater also comes with a child lock function, making it a safe choice if you have inquisitive children. There’s a choice of three heating modes: comfort, economy or frost-free. However, this electric heater for bathroom use comes with instructions that are rather difficult to understand. It’s also fairly complicated to program, although you could opt to use it on a simple start and stop basis.

While mounting this heater with its included wall brackets is fairly simple, there’s no template included. If DIY isn’t your thing, be prepared to spend a little while to get the holes correctly lined up.

3. Purus Intelligent 400W (Best 24/7 Timer)

The400W Purus Intelligent Panel Heater can be used freestanding or wall-mounted to warm rooms up to 6 square metres.

Its IP24 rating makes it a great option, as does its automatic window detection function so you won’t have to worry about forgetting to turn it off when airing your bathroom.

The Purus Intelligent heater also features a 24/7 timer, so you can set it to come on at a specific date and time – although programming is quite tricky and takes a while. Another thing to note is that this bathroom heater is turned on and off via a touch button on the panel, so smart plugs won’t be compatible.

It comes complete with a handy thermostat setting to help you keep a constant comfortable temperature starting from the first splash of water until you dry off with your towel. Furthermore, the useful child lock function makes it a great choice if you have children in the home.

4. Mylek 500W (Best Power-Saver)

The Mylek 500W Electric Panel Heater is designed to save you money on your heating costs while providing a stylish and ecological way to warm your bathroom.

It is IP24 rated and Lot 20 compliant. Therefore, it safe to use in the bathroom, better for the environment and cheaper for you to run.

This heater can be used either free-standing or wall-mounted. However, due to the surprisingly bulky nature of its feet that comes with castor wheels, we would recommend wall mounting when possible.

The clear LED display is easy to read, although the programming instructions are difficult to understand. So, if you need to program your heater throughout the week, you’ll be better off looking at another of our recommendations. Otherwise, you can easily use this model with the on/off switch and its internal thermostat.

With its open window detection function, three heating programs and silent operation, this heater is a good choice for small bathrooms.

5. Futura Eco 2000W (Best Slim)

Our favourite electric heater for the bathroom, the Futura Eco is an inexpensive, great quality choice that will warm rooms up to 23 square metres.

With fittings included, this model can either be used as a portable bathroom heater or a wall-mounted bathroom heater. What’s more, It has a slim, splash-proof design that allows you to save on space. Most importantly, it is IP24 certified. This makes it safe for use in your bathroom allowing you to feel warm and cosy whilst you dry off with your towel.

This model comes with a number of features including a temperature range from 5 up to 35 degrees Celsius, which can be easily regulated thanks to the internal thermostat. Like a lot of heaters, the thermostat could be more accurate. However, it is easy to use and this does not really detract from its performance.

It has a timer that can be used to set it to run for a certain length of time. But if you’re looking for a bathroom heater that can be set to come on at different times on different days, then you would need to purchase a separate timer for this added functionality.

Another extremely useful feature that this electric bathroom heater has is its Auto Open Window Detection function. If you open your window after you shower to air the room and prevent the build-up of humidity, you won’t have to worry about forgetting to turn off your heater. If it senses a five or more degree drop in temperature, then it will automatically turn itself off, saving you electricity cost and money.

6. Dimplex Wall Mounted (Best Small)

This compact fan heater is our favourite small heater. It’s a powerful little heater that’s perfect for rapidly heating up cold bathrooms, thanks to its internal fan and 2000W output.

This is an extremely easy to use wall mounted bathroom heater. So, if you don’t need any scheduling functions or automatic on/off settings, then this would be an ideal heater for your bathroom. Simply pull the cord to turn it on, and again to turn it off. Just be careful not to pull it too hard though, as it’s rather fragile and replacements are relatively expensive.

The Dimplex compact fan heater is easy to install and comes complete with a two-year guarantee. To keep your electricity costs down, it also comes with an internal thermostat that senses when your room is warm and reduces its output from 2000W to 1000W. Although you probably won’t notice it when you’re in the shower, this unit is rather noisy, as are most fan heaters.

If you are looking for a wall-mounted, small electric bathroom heater that rapidly warms up your when you need it, then this compact heater makes a smart choice. Thanks to its fan that circulates warm air around your bathroom, you won’t have to wait to experience a warm sensation before taking your shower. However, you’ll have to regularly remove any trapped dust and dirt from the filter to keep it working at optimum efficiency.

7. Penemol Portable (Best Portable)

If you’re looking for a small electric heater for the bathroom that provides you with a quick burst of heat, this inexpensive fan heater by Penemol could be just what you need.

While it won’t effectively heat up an entire room, it does provide instant warmth that’ll keep you cosy and comfortable whilst drying off with your towel or getting dressed.

With regard to safety, this 600W compact fan heater features over-heat and anti-tip protection – so you can use it with peace of mind. It heats up extremely quickly in just three seconds. The hot air provided by its oscillating function gently diffuses and gives you a comfortable level of warmth close up. Two fan speeds give you the option of an added boost and the built-in handle makes it easy to move around.

Overall, this ceramic fan heater makes an ideal supplementary heat source when you want a little extra targeted warmth for a more comfortable feeling. But, if you have a large bathroom to heat, this small bathroom heater won’t be sufficient. Some bathroom heater reviews also state that this model isn’t very durable and that the front grille gets very hot – so you’ll need to be careful not to touch it.

What Are the Different Types of Bathroom Heaters?

There are several different types of bathroom heater available. To help you to make the right choice, we’ve detailed some of the main types below along with their advantages.

1. Convection Bathroom Heaters

Convection electric bathroom heaters are one of the most common types that you will come across. As their name suggests, these heater work via convection. They warm the air surrounding them, which rises once warmed. This continues with the warmer air rising and then cooling, followed by more rising and cooling and so on.

The advantages of convection heaters are that, unlike fan heaters, they don’t have moving parts that can break, and they don’t require any regular maintenance. They are good at heating entire rooms over long periods of time, and once your convection bathroom heater is installed, you can simply forget about it. On the downside, they can take a while to warm up a room and you don’t get the same targeted warmth as you do with a fan heater.

2. Fan Bathroom Heaters

Fan heaters warm the air and then propel it forward, for a more intense, targeted hot air flow. They are useful for immediate heat – rather than waiting for a whole room to heat up. You can immediately bask in the warmth created by a fan heater.

However, while they are good at heating up small rooms, they are less effective in larger rooms. As with any fan, you’ll have to regularly check your bathroom fan heater for a build-up of dust or other particles that could block the filter and cause malfunction. Based on some bathroom heater reviews, most say that fan heaters tend to be pretty noisy. However, if you regularly use your electric shower rather than bathe, the noise is not likely to be noticeable.

3. Infrared Bathroom Heaters

Infrared heaters use infrared radiation to warm objects and people, rather than just the air as convection and fan heaters do.

This makes infrared heaters more efficient than convection heaters and more economical to run. They don’t create draughts and are completely silent, making them a good choice for many households.

One particular advantage of using infrared bathroom heaters is that the infrared rays will also warm the walls, rather than just the air. This means it can help to keep mould at bay. These can also be used as ceiling heaters for bathrooms in the UK if your area is limited and would like to save space.

Features to Consider When Choosing a Bathroom Heater

In this section, we look at some of the most important features to consider when picking the best bathroom heater for you.

1. Heat Output

You’ll need to make sure that your bathroom heater has a sufficient heat output for the size of your bathroom. If you have a large bathroom then you’ll need one with a larger wattage than someone with a smaller bathroom.

Therefore, make sure you check the recommended maximum room size before buying. If you use a heater that’s not powerful enough, it won’t be able to effectively warm your bathroom, resulting in slight warming that won’t make enough of a difference in the winter months.

2. Safety Standards

When you’re looking for a new bathroom heater, make sure you’re considering models which comply with the latest safety standards for use in bathrooms.

Heaters for bathrooms need to comply with certain ratings which depend on how waterproof or splash proof they are. This, in turn, dictates how close to a water source they may be installed.

Remember, if you are wall mounting your heater inside your bathroom, it must be installed by a professional. This is to guarantee your safety.

3. Portable or Wall Mounted

Some bathroom heaters come with both feet and brackets, giving you a choice while others are just one or the other.

A wall mounted bathroom heater saves space and makes for a tidier, less cluttered bathroom. Looks aside, it can also be more practical to have your bathroom heater wall mounted, avoiding trailing electrical cables and freeing up vital space in very small bathrooms.

However, using a portable bathroom heater can be preferable if you intend on using the heater as a complementary heat source for other rooms in your home. If you’re having some difficulty to get one fitted, then a portable one would be better.

4. Energy Efficiency

Not only are they important for ecological reasons, but an efficient bathroom heater will save you money. Make sure that your bathroom heater complies with all new efficiency standards to save on your electric bills.

Another thermostat function is the auto shut off. It allows you to save money by cutting off your bathroom heater when the room reaches the desired temperature. Open window detectors work in a similar way and are particularly useful if you regularly open your bathroom window to reduce humidity build up.

If you’re prone to forgetting to switch heaters off, a timer function is also useful to help you save electricity cost and money.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to get the best bathroom heater in the UK, we thoroughly recommend the Wärme 2000W.

Packed with features, a 2000W output and a stylish design, this model is a great choice for almost any home. Ideal for 22-metre squared rooms, its digital thermostat provides an option for instant heating or you can set a preferred weekly temperature setting. It also comes equipped with built-in sensors to keep the device from overheating.

IP22 certified, its waterproof casing can withstand water spray making it ideal for use in kitchens and bathrooms. Overall, if you suffer from a cold and unwelcoming bathroom, we think you should look no further than the Wärme 2000W electric wall heater.