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Heating solutions for your bathroom
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No one likes a chilly bathroom. Fortunately there are heating solutions that won't hurt your hip pocket, or the planet.
It's a scenario many of us are familiar with. That mad, naked dash to the shower each morning across chilly bathroom tiles. There has to be a better way, right?
Fortunately, thanks to the many dedicated heating devices now on the market, there's no reason why your bathroom should be a cold and draughty throwback to yesteryear.
But choosing the most energy-efficient heating system isn't as simple as flicking a switch. The first question you need to ask is: do you really need dedicated bathroom heating?
"The best outcome of all would be if you could avoid having a heater," says David Craven from Sustainability Victoria. "By properly insulating your walls and sealing up any draughts around windows and doors, you may find you don't need extra heating."
One cheap and simple solution to eliminate those bracing draughts that get sucked up into the ceiling through older exhaust fans is to install an attachment that seals up the fan space when it's not in use.
But if that's not enough to stop the winter chill, David recommends instantaneous, radiant heaters, such as electric strip wall heaters, or better still, overhead infra-red heat lamps that combine heat, light and a modern exhaust fan.
"The reason they're good is that they heat you and not the air, so you feel the warming effects almost immediately," says David. "And because they're on only for the time you're in the bathroom, you'll end up using less energy, you'll save money and obviously it's good for the environment as well."
As for the current trend towards under-tile and in-screed heating, David is less enthusiastic. While many of these systems have been designed to utilise off-peak electricity and are thermostat controlled, because they take between 30 minutes and two hours to heat up, and tend to be left on all day, they are far less efficient.
"There's no need to heat your bathroom all day," says David. "In the end, you're only using it typically for one hour, so heat it outside of that time and you're just pouring your money down the drain."
Similarly, extending your home's central heating system to the bathroom may mean you're heating it during times when it's not in use. But if this is your preferred option, then make sure you choose the most sophisticated, five-star system that can be zoned and programmed to suit your habits.
"Every extra star means a 15 per cent reduction in running costs per year," says David.
