In this review we will compare the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP and the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP side by side and see if the extra few pounds are worth it.
We will cover:
- Introduction
- Features – Output and flow rates, size and special features and guarantee
- Price
- Conclusion
Introduction
With so many boilers on the market (literally 100’s to choose from) you’re never going to be short of choice – which is a good thing right? Well not quite. It’s easy to get confused with the plethora of different names Worcester has come out within its new range: Greenstar, Highflow, i, si, CDi, compact and classic. – so it’s safe for me to assume that the customer can, at times, be overwhelmed and confused somewhat.
Adding further confusion will be different gas engineers recommending different boilers – simply because they are used to installing that particular boiler. It could be they find it easy to install or they worked on it for a large contract, or even that they receive large discounts from manufacturers for being loyal customers.
In this review, I will hope to arm you with some information that lets you make up your own mind whether the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP and the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP are good boilers. We won’t be discussing boiler installation costs.
OK, let’s begin. Up until around 2015, Worcester produced probably the most popular boiler ever (the Worcester 28i Junior). The 28i Junior was installed in more than 1 million homes. However, Worcester needed to upgrade this boiler and replaced it with the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP – now their best-selling combi boiler. Worcester Bosch boilers are synonymous with quality and reliability – so you’re in safe hands going for one of these.
Suitability
Both the 25i and 30i are mid-range boilers ideally suited to properties that have up to 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Fortunately, that means this boiler is suitable for most of you reading this review. These boilers are not suitable for high hot water demands, e.g. two showers or one bath and one shower running at the same time. It simply isn’t able to produce hot water at the required rate (more on that later).
Features
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i 30i Output and flow rate
Both the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP and the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP have a heat output of 24kW. This is more than capable of heating a standard 3 bedroom house. I’ve calculated BTU’s of radiators installed in a 3 bedroom new build property and worked out that a 24kW boiler is able to heat a 14 radiator home. I doubt you have a 3 bedroom property with more than 14 radiators so we don’t have to worry about the heating and whether these two boilers will cope with the demand. We only need to concentrate on the hot water flow – that is, how many litres of water these boilers are able to heat per minute.
The Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP has a hot water flow rate of 10.2 litres per minute.
The Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP has a hot water flow rate of 12.3 litres per minute.
For comparison sake, at nearly three times the price, the Worcester Greenstar Highflow 550CDi produces a hot water flow rate of 25 litres per minute. The average 4 bedroom property with two showers would be OK with a Worcester Greenstar 32CDi Compact (13.1 litres per minute) or a Worcester Greenstar 34CDi Classic (14.3 litres per minute).
As stated, both the 25i and 30i are adequate for properties that have up to 3 bedrooms and one bath. If you want your bath filled up a little bit faster or want to be sure of hotter water in winter then go for the 30i.
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i 30i Size
Both the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP and the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP are 330mm or 33cm deep meaning they won’t fit into a standard kitchen cupboard. If you currently have a Worcester Bosch boiler in your kitchen cupboard it will most likely be the Worcester Greenstar 25Si or the Worcester Greenstar 30Si – both of which are 280mm or 28cm deep.
The Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP and the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP measure up exactly the same and their dimensions are H 71cm D 33cm W 40cm.
Guarantee
The Worcester Bosch brand has, arguably, the best guarantees on the market, one of the main reasons we recommend them so much to our customers. The whole range comes with at least 5 years parts and labour guarantee which is increased up to 10 years if you use a Worcester Bosch accredited installer to fit your boiler.
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP Price
The Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP costs £1,013 without installation.
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP Price
The Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP costs £1,137 without installation.
Conclusion
Whichever of these boilers you go for your decision should be based on whether the extra 2.1 litres per minute hot water flow is worth it. Apart from that, they are pretty much the same. Below is the technical spec for both boilers:
The Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i ErP:
- Heating output: 24kW
- Hot water output: 25kW
- Perfect for small to medium-sized homes with a shower
- ErP rating: 93% efficiency, A-rated
- Guarantee: up to 10 years
The Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i ErP:
- Heating output: 24kW
- Hot water output: 30kW
- Perfect for small to medium-sized homes with a shower and/or bath
- ErP rating: 93% efficiency, A-rated
- Guarantee: up to 10 years
With so many boilers on the market, choosing a boiler has never been more difficult. However, if you bear in mind that Worcester Bosch and Vaillant are the most popular brands in the UK due to their award-winning reliability and quality you won’t go far wrong with one of them. We conducted a survey that involved more than 600 registered gas engineers who voted for which boiler they think is the best and you can see how well Worcester Bosch did here. The full results of the survey are here. It’s well worth a read.
Worcester Bosch is leading the way when it comes to innovation and efficiency in regards to meeting new standards set by the ERP directive. They are super-efficient and provide much better flow rates than the old Greenstar Junior models.
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