Top 6 Best Bathroom Exhaust Fans With LED Lights (2024 Review)

After performing home inspections for years, I have tested a lot of bathroom fans that have lights.

Bath fans with energy-efficient LED lights are perfect if you want your bath fan to act as a dual fixture so you don't have to install a separate light in the ceiling!

In this guide, I decided to provide a list of the best bathroom fans with lights on the market.

Below is a table of my top picks but keep reading to learn how to pick the best exhaust fans with LED lights. Let's go!

What Is A Bathroom Fan With LED Light?

A bathroom exhaust fan with LED lighting is a bathroom appliance and light fixture as one product.

These bath fans don't use LED bulbs but rather low profile LED chip modules integrated into the grille cover.

Even though homeowners can replace any standard bath fan light socket with an LED bulb if it's the same socket size, those fans aren't designed for LEDs from the get-go, and it requires larger space between the housing and cover to fit the bulb.

LED stands for light emitting diode and it is about 80% more efficient than incandescent light bulbs. LED lighting can also last up to 25x longer than standard light bulbs. Also, the less heat produced by these high quality lights (and motors) will help prevent fires.

Read Also >> What Are The Best Bath Fans With Standard Light Bulbs?

How To Pick The Best Exhaust Fan With LED Light?

There are a few essential things to know about when you want to pick the best bathroom fan with LED lighting.

1. LED Wattage

Most bathroom fans come with LED lights in the range of 10 to 12-Watts.

It is essential to note that LED wattage is different than incandescent wattage. 11-watt LED lighting is equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent light bulb.

If you know roughly how bright you want your bathroom in terms of incandescent lighting, simply divide the desired incandescent wattage by 60 and then multiply by 11 to get the equivalent LED wattage.

Night Lights

Some bathroom fans also include LED night lights which are used as a low level lighting for the evening (usually around 1-watt). Night lights are great if you want a small amount of light when using the bathroom in the middle of the night without increasing wakefulness.

2. CFM

CFM stands for cubic feet per minute and it is a measurement of fan speed or how much air the fan can exhaust in 60-seconds.

Most residential bathroom fans will have a minimum of 50-CFM and up to 150-cfm to 200-cfm.

The most basic guideline for bathrooms is to have at least 1-CFM per square foot of flooring. So if your bathroom is 100 square feet, you will need at least a 100-CFM rated bathroom fan.

Read Also >> How To Pick CFM For Your Bathroom Fan? (4-Step Guide And Chart)

3. Duct Size

Most new bathroom exhaust fans will require using a 4-inch duct, but some even use larger 5 or 6-inch ducting.

Frequently, bath fans come with adapters such as 4-inch to 3-inch so you can use older 3-inch ductwork if you choose. Just make sure that the bath fan comes with an adapter or you may have to buy one separately.

However, if you want the full performance out of the bathroom fan, homeowners should reduce the duct size which will slow down the airflow. Also, using a reduced duct size will likely increase the noise level of the bath fan.

4. New Wiring

Homeowners may need to run a new electrical cable from the exhaust fan to the wall switch for the additional hot wires.

If your old exhaust fan had no extra features, then it probably had 12-3 wiring, which means only a single hot wire, a neutral wire, and a ground wire.

If your wall only has a single switch, you will also have to install a double wall switch (or second single pole switch) if you want the fan and light to operate independently. If there is a night light, then three switches would be required to operate the fan, light, and night light separately.

Bath Fan May Have 2-3 Hot Or Live Wires

A bathroom exhaust fan with a light is going to have at least two hots, one hot for the fan, one for the light. However, if there is a night light — then there will be THREE hot or live wires. There will also be at least two neutral wires (white), and a ground wire.

Licensed Electrician

Please make sure to factor in any additional wiring required for a bath fan with LED light. We recommend hiring a licensed electrician if you aren't comfortable with the wiring, and a local building permit may even be required for the new electrical work.

Read Also >>  What Are The Quietest Bathroom Exhaust Fans?

How To Install A Bathroom Vent Fan With LED Light?

Here is a short breakdown of how to install a bath fan with an LED light...

1. Cut Hole In Drywall: It's important to have correct size hole in ceiling to fit housing (not too small or big). Use provided template to cut hole with drywall keyhole saw.
2. Connect Installation Bracket To Joists: If there was a supplied install bracket (for most bath fans), you will need to screw it into the joists.
3. Connect Wiring: Remove knock out plate from junction box and pull wiring through hole, wire all connections. Secure it with a stress relief.
4. Connect Duct: Connect the ducting to the adaptor assembly and secure with mastic or zip tie.
5. Install Adaptor Assembly Onto Bracket: Fasten the adapter that includes the junction box and duct connection to the installation bracket. Secure it in with supplied screws.
6. Slide Housing Onto Adaptor Assembly: Slide the fan body onto the adaptor aligning it wit the slots. There should be an audible click once in place.
7. Fasten Fan Body: Secure the fan body/housing with the supplied screws.
8. Caulking: Caulk the gap between the drywall ceiling and the housing flange to provide an air seal.
9. Install Grille Cover: Install the cover by squeezing the spring clips and inserting them into the holes on the housing.

My Top Pick: Panasonic WhisperValue

My overall #1 top pick goes to the Panasonic WhisperValue with LED light. Here's why...

1. LED Light

The bath fan comes with a 10-watt dimmable LED light chip panel. The fan also has a less than 1 watt LED night light.

2. Speed Control

With the Speed Selector feature, you can choose between 50-cfm, 80-cfm or 100-cfm so you can choose your fan speed based on your bathroom size and preference.

3. Quiet

At less then 0.3 sones on lowest CFM, this fan is extremely quiet, nearly silent — hence the name WhisperValue.

4. Easy Install

The WhisperValue comes with an adjustable install bracket to make the installation so much easier.

5. Quality Manufacturer

Made by Panasonic, this bathroom fan comes with the reputation of a serious play. You can trust that this product has the Panasonic brand behind it's quality.

6. Energy Star Rated

The WhisperValue is energy star certified which means it is very energy efficient and costs pennies to run.