A hot bath or shower works wonders during the chilly months but the one drawback is having to go into an unheated bathroom to prepare for your ablutions. Just the thought of entering a cold bathroom is almost enough to dash the idea of that welcome hot water. And then there's the uninviting prospect of getting out of the hot bath or shower back into the cold bathroom. There's also the danger of catching a cold from standing around in a cold bathroom to perform your morning ritual and waiting for your bath or shower to be ready. Fortunately the ideal solution is at hand in the form of a bathroom heater fan - a safe, compact and efficient device to heat up your bathroom. With a bathroom heater fan installed, you just flick a switch to heat up your bathroom in moments.

Other than making your bathroom warm, these heaters offer other benefits. For one thing, they help reduce humidity in your bathroom. Moisture tends to build up in the atmosphere of your home, especially in bathrooms. This humidity can promote the growth of mold on your tiles and other parts of the room. It can also lead to the growth of mildew on any cloths and linens kept there. Regular use of a heater helps reduce high levels of humidity and prevent the growth of molds. It will also clear your mirrors and windows of condensation resulting from excess moisture in the air.

Bathroom heater fans are light, compact and powerful. These heaters weight just over one kilogram and can pump out some two kilowatts of heat at the tug of a pull cord. Typical dimensions are extremely compact - a height of 245mm, a width of 235mm and a depth of just 95 mm - perfect for smaller rooms. Generally the controls are very simple with most offering two levels of heat. And the visual heat setting indicators keep you informed of the current level of heat. The fan-driven downflow sends the heat to exactly the right spot which makes these units highly efficient. And as they're only turned on when needed, they're very economical to use.

Bathroom heater fans are easy to install. It's just a matter of screwing the supplied wall mounting bracket and attaching the heater. You can install them on surfaces with normal flammability such as wood, plasterboard or masonry. However, when installing your new bathroom heater you need to remember that certain laws apply to the installation of electrical items in bathrooms.

Essentially, IEE regulations stipulate that a heater in a bathroom must be out of the reach of anyone using a bath or shower. The area determined as safe for the mounting of wall heaters is known as Zone 3 and a permanent connection to the mains supply must be made. These regulations change so you may want to consult a qualified tradesman who's up to date with these matters. Or you can download the latest information from HMSO.

These heaters are not limited to use in your bathroom. If you don't look forward to entering your cold kitchen, just install a fan heater there to get the same fast and economical heating at the tug of a cord. Kitchens do warm up quicker than bathrooms owing to the presence of ovens, toasters and other cooking appliances but first thing in the morning, they can be cold, and not the cosy place you want to enjoy family breakfasts.

The bathroom is the first place we head in the mornings but during winter, the thought of leaving our warm beds to enter an unheated room is enough to make us linger in bed a while longer. And at night a cold bathroom is a very uninviting place. However, using a bathroom heater fan is the perfect way to heat up your bathroom and other rooms in your home. It's efficient and as you only turn it on when you need it, it's very economical. Taking care of your heater is a simple matter of cleaning with a soft dry cloth. Who could ask for more?

To find the best deals on bathroom fan heater, visit the websites of online vendors and make your choice from their illustrated catalogues. Just place your order on the web site and your heater will be delivered in just a few days.