Bathroom Fan Review

Energy Star Bathroom Fan

Your bathroom ventilation fan is a wonder of science—with just the flick of a switch, all of that warm, moist air created by the bath, shower or faucet (it’s heading for the mold-creating factory called your ceiling!) is vented outside. Your bathroom is drier, cleaner and healthier thanks to the mystical powers of your bath fan.

So, what could be better? If it earned an ENERGY STAR label, that’s what. According to the ENERGY STAR web site, bath fans that meet their strict guidelines are more efficient and much quieter than non-compliant fans. Their motors also perform at a higher level with improved blade design, both of which translate to better performance and comfort, as well as a longer-lasting fan.

That’s the lengthy way of saying ENERGY STAR-rated bath fans can save you energy and money and reduce greenhouse gases without sacrificing performance, durability and value. So, that gets us thinking, why do only some bath fans have the ENERGY STAR label?

And why would you settle for anything less in your own home? For example, there are currently over 1,300 bath fans on VentingDirect.com, but just 200 can claim to be ENERGY STAR-rated (Broan, NuTone, Panasonic and Air King lead the way with energy-conscious bath fans). Don’t let this relatively small number fool you, though: These are powerful, hard-working and reliable fixtures that can truly make a difference in your bathroom and pocketbook. And don’t expect ENERGY STAR-rated fans to be loud, either. Most clock in at fewer than 2 sones, and 75 percent of those measure 1 sone or fewer. (A sone is a measurement of sound in terms of hearing level for the average listener. One sone is equivalent to the sound of a quiet refrigerator running in an equally quiet kitchen.) So, with improved performance while using less energy, and being quieter than standard bath fans, again we ask: Why would you NOT enjoy an ENERGY STAR- rated bath fan?

Until next time, Happy Home Improving!

Broan 100hl

Broan offers some of the most popular and trusted bath fans in the ventilation industry. At around 1500 watts, these bath fans are super-powerful and amazingly quiet at around two sones. They also feature built-in lighting and 360 degree directional heating, allowing you to point the heat in whatever direction you want. Broan bath exhaust fans are a trusted ventilation brand, from basic vent only fans, and options like built-in lights and heaters. The Broan 100hl is the pinnicle of residential bath fans with a 100 cfm fan, 1500w heater, and bathroom light all in one fixture.

For ventilation like range hoods and bath fans, we really like Broan. And we think you will, too.

Nutone 665rp Bathroom Fan Heater and Light

Three functions in one unit. Use them individually or together.
1) 1300W heating element provides fast enveloping heat. Efficient fan evely distributes warm air through room.
2) 100W maximum lamp provides bright ceiling light.
3) Efficient, quiet blower exhausts stale air and moisture to refresh the bath atmosphere.
• Streamline design with handsome white grille. Grille is tough engineered resin, impervious to bathroom climate.
• Includes hanger bars, adjustable from 16”-24”.
• Built-in junction box with receptacles for simple plug-in of heater fan motor and light receptacle.

“The heat/fan/light is fine, but when I was at the local store checking the Broan display (that supposedly was hooked up to real fans) and pushed the button showing how loud 2 sones was, it was a LOT quieter in the store than in real life.”

“The Panasonic fan was easy to install in an existing bathroom. It is quiet, powerful and slim. Since this is in a second story bathroom, the dimensions were critical. Excellent exhaust fan.”

• Duct Diameter: 4″
• Mounting Opening: 10.875″
• Grille Size: 13″

This inline bath fan features a plastic housing constructed of UL-recognized, UV protected thermoplastic resin. The tough protective shell allows the fan to be mounted in outdoor and wet locations. Fantech FR fans feature external rotor motors that have proven dependable year after year. Fan is fully caulked to prevent moisture from entering the housing.

The Air King High Performance Quiet Bath Fan

“Replaced builder grade 50CFM in small room powder room. Had to enlarge the original ceiling opening. Was a little worried with the body being plastic, install went fine. Works great and is less noisier than the builder grade. I expected it to be more quiet, but since I retrofitted this fan, I used the 3″ duct I had in place. I reduced from 4″, so this is likely the culprit. Once I get the chance I will replace the 3″ duct with 4″ and that will make things quieter. Happy with my purchase and looks much better than the builder grade unit.”

Review from VentingDirect.com

• CFM: 50
• Sones: 0.8-0.5

Nutone 682nt Ventless Fan

“I installed this ventless fan in my basement bathroom. Due to the location, ventless was the only true option for me. The fan is great, maybe not as powerful as I like, but it does work great.”

- Activated Charcoal Filter Helps Keep Air Fresh

- No Duct Required

“I bought this unit to replace an existing fan/light unit. The installation was quite simple because I had access to the space above the bathroom and was able to run the wiring from the fuse panel to the unit and wall switch. I have a 10x12x9′ bathroom. The unit can heat this room very quickly. The fan is very quiet,the light and night light are great features. I am very pleased with this unit . The only problem I came across with the installation is if you use the Nutone 77D multi switch, don’t use the wiring diagram that comes with the switch(it is wrong) use the wiring diagram that comes with the unit and everything will work ok. A great investment!!!” -merchant from VentingDirect.com