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How to heat a bathroom when using an air to air heat pump?

Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs)

Last Post by springswood 3 months ago

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Falesh

(@falesh)

Active Member Member

Joined: 8 months ago

Posts: 10

Topic starter 25/06/2026 2:20 pm [#3074]

One of the things concerning me about going air to air using mini splits is that it seems you can't use them in a bathroom. How do you keep the bathroom warm and towels dry in that case? Having an electric towel rail seems like a very energy inefficient solution.

This topic was modified 3 months ago by Falesh

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Batpred

(@batpred)

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Joined: 2 years ago

Posts: 1172

25/06/2026 10:18 pm

Posted by: @falesh

↑

Having an electric towel rail seems like a very energy inefficient solution.

I think you answered it yourself ! But they will be called infra red emitters or something similarly fancy…

I heard some people discussing using internal fan. But after anyone uses the toilet, the door is best kept shut for a while, while the extractor does its job … in my opinion

This post was modified 3 months ago by Batpred

8kW Solis S6-EH1P8K-L-PLUS hybrid inverter; G99: 8kW export; 16kWh Seplos Fogstar battery; Ohme Home Pro EV charger; Vaillant Arotherm Pro 7kW; 100Amp head, HA lab on mini PC

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Morgan

(@morgan)

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Joined: 6 years ago

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26/06/2026 7:56 am

I have an electric towel rail. For me, it's the only solution.

Retrofitted 11.2kw Mitsubishi Ecodan to new radiators commissioned November 2021.
14 x 500w Monocrystalline solar panels.

2 ESS Smile G3 10.1 batteries.
ESS Smile G3 5kw inverter.

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JamesPa

(@jamespa)

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Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 5483

26/06/2026 8:00 am

Posted by: @falesh

↑

One of the things concerning me about going air to air using mini splits is that it seems you can't use them in a bathroom. How do you keep the bathroom warm and towels dry in that case? Having an electric towel rail seems like a very energy inefficient solution.

Towel rails are next to useless for heating even with A2W, they just dont emit enough energy at low FTs.

With my A2W heat pump I do have a water based towel rail but mostly my bathroom is heated by transfer from the adjacent hallway (we leave the doors open except when its in use) and steam if someone runs a bath. If this weren't enough I would fit an electric towel rail on a timer.

4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.

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Batpred

(@batpred)

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26/06/2026 9:02 am

Posted by: @jamespa

↑

Towel rails are next to useless for heating even with A2W, they just dont emit enough energy at low FTs.

We have large towel rails in our bathrooms and according to the heat loss surveys, they will be enough to keep our (fairly well insulated) bathrooms warm with our future A2W ASHP.

I agree though that for the same area and specially when they are chrome plated, towel rails are not very effective as radiators.

8kW Solis S6-EH1P8K-L-PLUS hybrid inverter; G99: 8kW export; 16kWh Seplos Fogstar battery; Ohme Home Pro EV charger; Vaillant Arotherm Pro 7kW; 100Amp head, HA lab on mini PC

👍

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EtchedPixels

(@etchedpixels)

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Joined: 4 months ago

Posts: 152

26/06/2026 9:36 pm

You can air/air a bathroom with a suitable ceiling or other unit. That said towel rails are the best way IMHO to solve the towel problem. Our bathroom is simply heated when the door is usually open with the general airflow from the heatpumps and that is fine, but boy do I regret not fitting an electric towel rail when we did so.

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