Worcester Bosch Boilers vs Ideal Boilers

Worcester Bosch and Ideal Boilers are both reputable and reliable brands across the UK. They both boast high efficiency ratings, and are generally compatible with the most common smart home technologies.

As a premium brand, Worcester Bosch has a slightly better reputation when it comes to reliability, but we’re going to compare the strengths and limitations of both boilers, and help you to make the right decision on your next boiler.

About Worcester Bosch boilers

Worcester Bosch provides modern, state-of-the-art boilers when it comes to technology. Having won the Which? Best Buy award 15 times, it’s clear to see why their range of combi boilers, system boilers and conventional boilers are renowned for quality and reliability. 

Check out our helpful information on replacing your boiler with a Worcester Bosch boiler.

About Ideal boilers

Ideal boilers are a brand which dates back to 1906, with a long history of reliability and efficiency. With generally high levels of customer satisfaction, these boilers are offered as gas, electric, oil and even LPG types. 

Lacey Plumbing offers an Ideal boiler servicing plan, ensuring your boiler runs at peak efficiency with no issues!

Worcester Bosch vs Ideal: Cost

In general, Ideal boilers are known to be a more affordable option than Worcester Bosch, thanks to the premium status of the latter. The higher price of Worcester Bosch boilers reflects their quality, reliability and variety of features. Usually, Worcester Bosch models begin at around £800 at the cheaper end, rising up to around £2,500 for more expensive models.

In terms of Ideal boilers, you’ll likely be paying £600 - £1,400 for a combi boiler, with some high end models costing upwards of £2,300. Whilst it has to be said that Worcester Boilers are the more prestigious brand, that doesn’t take away from the efficiency and reliability of Ideal Boilers, which is why prices (particularly for high-end models) are not too different.

Worcester Bosch vs Ideal: Warranty

Worcester Bosch are renowned for having a guarantee instead of a warranty. What this means is that they provide parts, labour and call-out fees if you experience any issues with your boiler - all at no cost to you (assuming your guarantee is still valid)! These guarantees vary product to product, but there is a Worcester Bosch guarantee length check on their website.

Ideal heating on the other hand offers a warranty, which is a contractual agreement, more like an insurance policy (whilst a guarantee is a promise to ensure reliability). These warranties cover manufacturing issues with appliances, and vary anywhere from 2 - 12 years. 

Check out our Worcester Bosch Boiler Troubleshooting page.

Worcester Bosch vs Ideal: Reviews

Both Worcester Bosch and Ideal boilers provide reliable heating solutions for their customers, and boast good customer satisfaction rates. Let’s break down some of the common benefits of each system.

Benefits of Worcester Bosch boilers:

Let’s look at the benefits of Ideal boilers:

Worcester Bosch vs Ideal: A size comparison

Worcester Bosch and Ideal boiler models offer a variety of size dimensions, offering a wide range of choice. This makes them suitable for a variety of spaces and houses.

Ideal boilers offer the ‘Logic and Logic+ system boilers, which are 700mm x 295mm x 278mm, making them suitable for most kitchen cupboards. Equally, the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Style Combi Boiler measures at 780mm x 440mm x 365mm, another good compact option.

Worcester Bosch’ best selling boilers are the combi boilers, which are slightly larger in size. Also, Worcester Bosch boilers have more options if you’re looking for a boiler at the bigger end of the scale. Regarding Ideal boilers, a good option for houses with multiple bathrooms and higher hot water requirements, the Ideal Logic Max 35kW is a good choice. 

Worcester Bosch and Ideal control and thermostat options

Both brands aim to offer a variety of control options with their boilers. Worcester Bosch does provide a larger selection of in-house smart controls, whereas Ideal boilers are renowned for their compatibility with thermostats such as Nest or Hive. 

Worcester Bosch controls include:

Ideal Boiler controls include:

It’s important to note that Ideal Boilers do not have their own range of smart controls as Worcester Bosch do, which gives the latter a slight edge in this case.

Worcester Bosch vs Ideal: Energy efficiency

Worcester Bosch and Ideal boilers are both well known for their energy efficiency benefits.

The Worcester Bosch Greenstar range is a great example of this, achieving energy efficient scores of over 90%, especially thanks to intelligent features such as weather compensation. Their heaters also achieve A ratings for heating and hot water.

Similarly, Ideal boilers also achieve an A rating for heating and hot water, despite not offering some of the same smart features. These boilers offer similar energy efficiency benefits to Worcester Bosch, often at more competitive prices. So in terms of energy efficiency, both brands are good options; but on a tight budget, Ideal boilers might be the better choice for you.

Choosing between Worcester Bosch and Ideal boilers

Choosing between Worcester Bosch and Ideal boilers includes taking into account all factors such as price, size, energy efficiency, warranty/guarantee, smart features and thermostat options. 

If you’re looking for a top of the range boiler, with all the features you could possibly hope for and high energy efficiency, we’d definitely recommend choosing a Worcester Bosch boiler. 

However, if you’re on a slightly tighter budget, and you still want an energy efficient, reliable boiler, then an Ideal boiler is perfect for you. 

Don’t forget that Lacey Plumbing are a Worcester accredited installer, so for all your boiler installation, boiler servicing and boiler repair needs, be sure to contact us.