Ideal or Worcester Bosch Boiler?
A new addition to our series of boiler comparison articles, here we take a look at Ideal and Worcester Bosch boilers and compare the two.
Both Ideal and Worcester Bosch are two of the UK’s most well-known and well-loved boiler brands, and have enjoyed good reputation in the UK for years.
However, which of these two brands offer the best boilers in 2023?
In this article we’ll take a closer look based on information from our heating engineers with over 40 years of experience.
Ideal Heating
Established in 1906 as a British company, Ideal Heating is well-known across the UK due to its innovations in heating across the country.
It was Ideal Heating that developed the Cookanheat in the 1920s, one of the first British boilers, and an appliance that introduced central heating to more lower-cost properties than any other appliance of the time. This boiler was revolutionary in that it was designed to be installed in the kitchen rather than the basement location like other boilers of the time. It is innovations like this that kickstarted the reputation that Ideal Heating has today.
Ideal Heating’s reputation today is illustrated by its array of awards. These range from the Quiet Mark for the quiet operation of its boiler range, endorsements from the Energy Saving Trust for the energy efficiency of its products, and Good Housekeeping Reader Recommended awards in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Ideal Heating is known for making boilers that offer good value for money. Whilst not a premium boiler option, they are noted for boilers that offer reliability.
Formerly known as Ideal Boilers, today, Ideal Heating is owned by the larger French HVAC company, Groupe Atlantic.
Worcester Bosch
Established in 1962 by Cecil Duckworth and acquired by Robert Bosch GmbH in 1992, Worcester Bosch is now the market leaders for domestic boilers in the UK.
Worcester Bosch enjoys brand loyalty in the UK because of build quality, reliability and availability of parts. Installers like them too because of their widespread usage, and because the availability of parts and spares is no issue.
Worcester Bosch’s reputation is backed up by the fact that it has been awarded Which? Best Buy awards consistently for its gas and oil boiler range every year since 2009. In addition to this, Worcester Bosch was named the UK’s Best Domestic Boiler Manufacturer by Build Magazine in its 2020 Home and Garden Awards, and was voted as one of the top 10 UK Domestic Appliance Brands in YouGov’s BrandIndex 2020.
Worcester Bosch also holds a Royal Warrant for supplying its boilers to Her Majesty The Queen’s Sandringham Estate.
From a customer perspective, Worcester Bosch holds a TrustScore of 4.6 and a rating of Excellent based on 23,676 reviews on Trustpilot.
Ideal vs Worcester Bosch – Boiler Comparison
For this comparison, we’ll look at the two flagship/premium or top of the range combi boilers from both brands. Starting first with Ideal:
Ideal Vogue C26 GEN2 Combination Boiler
Key Features:
- Backlit 3.5” LCD full-colour display
- Built using premium components
- Compact, multi-function buttons for ease of use
- Energy Saving Trust endorsed
- LPG conversion available
- 8 Year Standard Warranty (10 years with Ideal System Filter)
Product Specification:
| Width (mm) | 445 |
| Height (mm) | 740 |
| Depth (mm) | 330 |
| Weight (Kg) | 32.4 |
| Output (Kilowatts) | 26 |
| ErP Space Heating Efficiency | A |
| ErP Water Heating Efficiency | A |
| Noise Level (Decibels) | 47 |
| Flow Rate (L/min) | 10.6 |
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 4000 Combination Boiler
Key Features:
- Simple boiler control knobs with digital display
- High energy efficiency
- Low energy pump reduces electrical usage
- Frost protection included if installed in a garage or a loft
- Choice of controls enables greater comfort and economy
Product Specification:
| Width (mm) | 440 |
| Height (mm) | 750 |
| Depth (mm) | 360 |
| Weight (Kg) | 47.5 |
| Output (Kilowatts) | 29 |
| ErP Space Heating Efficiency | A |
| ErP Water Heating Efficiency | A |
| Noise Level (Decibels) | 55 |
| Flow Rate (L/min) | 12.3 |
Pros and Cons of Ideal and Worcester Bosch boilers
Quality and Performance
- Both boilers are well-made and known for their quality
- Ideal Heating boilers operate at quieter levels than Worcester Bosch boilers and have been awarded the Quiet Mark for their quiet operation
- Worcester Bosch has a better brand reputation in the UK, and are known for their reliability and longevity
- Higher water flow rates on Worcester Bosch boilers
- Better customer service from Worcester Bosch and there is a dedicated line for installers
- Both boilers come with an aluminium heat exchanger
Warranty, Cost Effectiveness and Range
- Boilers from both brands are covered for 10 years. However, Worcester Bosch stresses that their boilers are covered by a guarantee which is legally binding
- To get a 10 year guarantee from Worcester Bosch, you have to fit their own controls and filter
- Ideal’s 10 year warranty can be obtained by getting an accredited installer to install it
- Ideal boilers are on average up to £300 cheaper than Worcester Bosch
Ideal Heating or Worcester Bosch Boilers? – Conclusion and Verdict
Our in-house expert boiler engineers all agree that both Ideal Heating and Worcester Bosch offer a solid range of boilers in 2021. They also agree that you can’t go wrong with either brand and the awards and reputation achieved by both brands is testament to the quality of their products. For this reason, we can’t simply choose one manufacturer over the other but what we can do is suggest why you might choose one over the other:
- Buy a Worcester Bosch boiler if you’re looking for a higher flow rate and better customer service
- Buy a Worcester Bosch boiler if you want a boiler from a manufacturer that has been awarded Best Buy Awards every year for the past 10 years
- Buy an Ideal Heating boiler if you want to save an average of £300 but not be backed up by the dedicated customer service that Worcester Bosch offers
- Buy an Ideal Heating boiler if you are conscious about the operating noise of your boiler and you are looking for a quieter boiler that is backed up with the Quiet Mark award