So, you’ve been thinking about equipping your bathroom with a brand new exhaust fan. However, one thing is stopping you from making the ultimate decision – you have no idea how much the installation of this appliance is going to cost you.
The cost of bathroom exhaust fan installation depends on several different factors. Is it a new installation or a replacement? Will you need any extra electrical wiring? Maybe even new ductwork?
In this article, I will talk about:
- The amount of money you can expect to spend for bathroom exhaust fan installation;
- Extra costs that come with additional wiring and new ductwork;
- The prices of the currently most popular models.
Contents
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Installation – The Main Factors
As I said above, the cost to install one of these convenient appliances depends on several different factors. However, the most important one is whether the model will be a new installation or just a replacement.
1. Replacing an Already-Existing Bathroom Exhaust Fan
The so-called “replacement installation” is the most common kind of bathroom exhaust fan installation.
On average, it can take between 2 and 4 hours to properly install one of these devices. This means that homeowners can expect to pay between $200 and $400 if they have an accessible attic that will allow easy installation of the fan into the ceiling.
If a new duct needs to go to the outside, or if the drywall needs to be replaced or repaired, the costs can be considerably higher. Another thing that can affect the ultimate price of the installation is the size and design of the bathroom exhaust fan itself.
In the case of replacement installation, the person you’ve hired for the job will just swap out the old appliance with a new one. They will connect the new bathroom exhaust fan with the old ducting and wiring.
It goes without saying, but the type of contractor who is licensed to repair, maintain, and install appliances such as bathroom fans is the electrician. In most cases, an hour of their working time costs about $65. However, in some areas, it can go as high as $95 per hour or as low as $35 per hour.
The average cost of the appliance itself, on the other hand, depends on how powerful and feature-rich it is. The bathroom exhaust fans equipped with heaters can cost as much as $400, while the simple, 50 CFM-rated models can cost as low as $100.
2. New Bathroom Exhaust Fan Installation in a Finished Bathroom
The cost to install one of these appliances into an existing, finished bathroom typically ranges between $500 and $1500. The mere fact that you won’t be just replacing an already-existing model can and will increase the cost of the installation by up to 2 to 3 times.
Not only will the new duct hose need to be installed on the exterior of the house, but the electrician will also have to fish the new electrical wiring to a switch.
The difficulty of installing this new duct hose to the outside can greatly affect the final cost. If neither of the exterior walls is close to where the bathroom fan will be placed, the electrician may have to install the vent in a way so that it exhausts excess moisture to the roof.
As stated above, another significant cost can be the wiring. Your brand new appliance may or may not need a dedicated circuit back to the panel box.
To make all of this happen, you may have to hire different kinds of contractors – a roofer (who will deal with the exterior vent hood), a carpenter (who will install the vent hose), and an electrician (who will install the bathroom exhaust fan itself).
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Installation – The Extra Factors
Let’s also take a quick look at some extra factors that can affect the cost of bathroom exhaust fan installation:
1. The Duct Hose
Unlike older bathrooms, which used 3” vent hoses, a lot of the modern bathrooms require 4”-6” vent hoses.
It can cost you from $100 to $350 to have one of these things installed in your bathroom for your new exhaust fan. The price of the installation typically depends on the level of access, the length of the hose, and the overall difficulty of the whole job.
Newer bathroom exhaust fans typically require the replacement of a 3” duct with a 4”, 5”, or a 6” duct. Replacing an older and smaller duct with a newer and larger one is particularly important if you want to get the advertised performance out of your new fan.
Depending on its quality, a 25-feet long 4” duct can cost as low as $25 and as high as $75.
The amount of time it will take the contractor to replace the duct should be somewhere in the 2-3 hour range. And when it comes to the cost of labor, you can expect to pay about $75 per hour.
2. Electrical Wiring
When it comes to extra costs, another consideration you’ll have to take into account is electrical wiring.
The installation of a new switch for a bathroom exhaust fan that features a LED light or a heater, as well as the installation of adequate electrical wiring, can cost you from $50 to $250. The precise amount of money you’ll have to fork out depends on the overall difficulty of the job.
The electrician should be able to quickly and easily install the bathroom exhaust fan if they only need to disconnect the already-existing electrical wiring and then connect it to the new fan.
However, the installation of additional extra wiring for a model that’s equipped with a light or a heater can be considered as extra labor. The overall cost can increase even more if your brand new appliance needs to be on its own dedicated circuit back to the panel box.
The Cost of the Popular Bathroom Exhaust Fans
These appliances come at prices that are typically somewhere between $100 and $400 – have a look at this simple table that contains the prices of some of the market’s most popular models:
| Bathroom Exhaust Fan | Features | The Cost (Fan Only) |
| Panasonic WhisperWarm | 110 CFM, light, heater | [amazon fields=”B08MQSPQCL” value=”button” button_text=”Check Price on Amazon”] |
| Broan Nu-Tone Sensonic | 110 CFM, Bluetooth speaker | [amazon fields=”B00SE71A50″ value=”button” button_text=”Check Price on Amazon”] |
| Panasonic WhisperFit | 110 CFM | [amazon fields=”B0973N9G21″ value=”button” button_text=”Check Price on Amazon”] |
| Broan-NuTone 750 | 100 CFM, light | [amazon fields=”B000LNMWFC” value=”button” button_text=”Check Price on Amazon”] |
| Broan-NuTone LP80 | 80 CFM | [amazon fields=”B008OHPUYM” value=”button” button_text=”Check Price on Amazon”] |
The price of a particular bathroom exhaust fan always depends on its CFM rating and the number of extra features it’s equipped with, like Bluetooth speakers, motion sensors, humidity sensors, heaters, and lights.
There is also the question of how much does it costs to use a bathroom fan. Check out our How Much Electricity Does a Bathroom Fan Use? post for more information.
For more information about such models, check out our posts on the best decorative fans, the best Delta bathroom exhaust fans, and the best bathroom fans with Bluetooth speakers.
The Takeaway
In conclusion, the factor that usually decides how much the installation of a bathroom exhaust fan will cost is whether it’s a new or a replacement installation.
A replacement installation typically lasts between 2 to 4 hours and can cost up to $400. On the other hand, installing one of these convenient appliances into a finished bathroom rarely costs less than $500, with the overall cost often going as high as $1500.
The reason why the new installation costs more than the replacement installation is due to the fact that the former typically requires routing of the new electrical wiring as well the implementation of new ductwork.
Replacing an already-existing fan with a brand new one is considerably easier. Once the old appliance is removed, the contractor only needs to put the new fan into the same spot and connect it to already-existing electrical wiring.
If you need more help with setting up everything, you may also want to check out our guide on how to install a bathroom fan roof vent.
