When looking for a boiler to provide heating and hot water to your 4 bedroom home, your choice will ultimately be affected by how many bathrooms you have.

There comes a point when even the most powerful Combi boiler won’t be suitable for homes of a certain size. This is because Combi boilers don’t store hot water in a cylinder, like System or Regular boilers, instead they provide instant hot water directly from the mains.

This makes Combi boilers perfectly suited to homes with 1 bathroom because when they’re providing water to several taps at once the flow weakens. That’s not to say you couldn’t install certain Combi boilers in a property with 2 bathrooms but we’re recommending looking towards a System boiler if your 4 bedroom house has 2 or more bathrooms. This is because System boilers have the benefit of a separate hot water cylinder to hold a higher volume of hot water. You can find out more about all of the different boilers available with our Types of Boiler Explained article.

Depending on whether you have 1 or more bathrooms, choose the option below to take you to the right place in this comparison article:

Best Combi Boiler for a 4 Bedroom House with 1 Bathroom

Best System Boiler for a 4 Bedroom House with 2 or More Bathrooms

If you’re looking for the best boiler for a 3 bedroom house, we’ve compared two Combi boilers to help with making that decision too.

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Best Combi Boiler for a 4 Bedroom House with 1 Bathroom

So, if you live in a 4 bed with 1 bathroom, we’ve put 2 of the most popular Combi boilers head-to-head: Baxi EcoBlue Advance 33 vs Ideal Logic Plus 35.

Brands Behind the Boilers

Baxi have been manufacturing in the UK since way back in 1866 and all of that experience has led them to be one of the leading boiler manufacturers around. They have an extensive range of products, each one more innovative than the last and offer industry leading parts and labour warranties on all of their boilers.

Baxi also lifted the first ever Boiler Guide World Cup this year, which was voted for by installers, so they’re a well supported brand in the industry.

Ideal can also boast over 100 years of experience, offering a range of Combi, System and Regular boilers to help you find the right one for your home. With an Ideal boiler, you’re guaranteed a high-quality appliance at great value.

Battle of the Combi Boilers: Baxi vs Ideal

As Combi boilers, both of these units are a water heater and central heating boiler wrapped into one compact unit, so there’s no need to have a water tank installed too. To begin the head-to-head, let’s take a look at some of the key features of each boiler side by side.

Boiler Feature	Baxi EcoBlue Advance Combi 33	Ideal Logic Plus 35
Dimensions in mm (HxWxD)	763 x 450 x 345	700 x 395 x 278
ErP Efficiency Rating	A Heat, A Water	A Heat, A Water
Standard Warranty	10 years	7 years
Typical Price	£1,155	£925
Mounting	Wall mounted	Wall mounted
kW Options	33kW	35kW
Flow Rate	13.5 l/m	14.5 l/m
Typical Installation Costs	£500 – £1,000	£500 – £1,000

Price

One of these Combi boilers tends to sit just over the £1,000 mark while the other is just under, which in itself might be the determining factor when making your final decision.

The Ideal Logic Plus 35 could prove to be the cheaper model, but there are still installation costs to consider. There isn’t a set price across the board for installations, with costs varying depending on the boiler and installer carrying out the work. For this reason, it’s important to get several quotes from different installers to give yourself the greatest chance of finding the best deal.

Energy Efficiency

A new legislation came into place in April 2018 called Boiler Plus, which states that the minimum efficiency levels of all gas Combi boilers manufactured and installed must be 92%. This makes all gas Combi boilers highly efficient, so whether you go for the Logic Plus or the EcoBlue Advance, you can count on it being efficient.

If you’re not familiar with efficiency ratings, all boilers are given one to show just how well they’ll run. After all, the heating does make up the majority of your energy bills during the winter months. An efficient boiler can be recognised by its high efficiency rating and will not only be better for the environment but your bank balance too.

So, with minimum ErP efficiency rating having to be 92%, for every £1 you spend on heating your home, just 8p is wasted. Find out more with our guide to energy efficient boilers.

Warranty

As you can see from the above table, the EcoBlue Advance has the longest warranty with 10 years, compared to a 7 year warranty for the Ideal Logic Plus which is still pretty lengthy.

When it comes to the warranty, it’s not just about how many years you’re covered but what you’re guaranteed against. With an Ideal warranty, you’ll get a full parts and labour repair service for free when the appliance breaks down due to defective workmanship. A Baxi warranty applies for the unit itself and any integrated controls, so that doesn’t include accessories such as a thermostat.

Output

When looking for a new boiler, you’ll be told that it needs to be the right size. Now, this doesn’t refer to the physical size, rather the output, which is all about how powerful it is. Measured in kilowatts (kW), you shouldn’t just go for the most powerful boiler, as your energy bills will end up higher than they should be.

The ideal size Combi boiler for a 4 bedroom house with 1 bathroom normally ranges from around 28kW to 35kW. Both of the Combi boilers in this comparison sit within that output range and there isn’t too much difference between them. The Ideal Logic Plus 35 has the higher output though with 35kW, which should be more than enough for your home.

The Verdict

Despite the longer warranty of the Baxi EcoBlue Advance, we’re going to have to give victory to the Ideal Logic Plus 35 in this head-to-head. The higher output of 35kW and flow rate of 14.5 l/m make it one of the best Combi boilers around for a large house. To top it all off, it also comes with a smaller price tag too.

Other Contenders

If you’re in the market for a Combi boiler for your 4 bedroom house then there’s no shortage of choice. Here are a few more models you might want to take a look at:

Boiler Feature	Output (kW)	ErP Rating	Typical Price
Alpha EVOKE Combi Gas Boiler	33kW	A Rated	£958
Potterton Gold Combi Gas Boiler	33kW	A Rated	£825
Viessmann B1LD Vitodens 111-W Combi Gas Boiler	35kW	A Rated	£1,590
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 29CDi Classic Combi Gas Boiler	29kW	A Rated	£1,116

Best System Boiler for a 4 Bedroom House with 2 or More Bathrooms

For those of you with more bathrooms, find out which unit takes victory as 2 System boilers battle it out: Worcester Bosch Greenstar 35CDi Classic vs Vaillant ecoTec Plus 637.

Brands Behind the Boilers

Worcester Bosch are one of the most recognisable and trusted brands around having built up a great reputation for their range of gas, LPG and oil boilers. Not only are their boilers installed in homes up and down the UK, you’ll also find them in the palace as they currently provide heating products to the Royal Family.

They come up against Vaillant in this head-to-head, a German company who have been in the industry for over 140 years. All of their experience has seen them gain a reputation for manufacturing reliable, high-performing and efficient boilers.

There’s a lot of history between these two as they’re often battling it out it for the title of ‘Best Boiler Brand’ but which has manufactured the best System boiler for a 4 bedroom house with 2 or more bathrooms?

Battle of the System Boilers: Worcester Bosch vs Vaillant

System boilers have most of the required components built into the unit but they do require a separate hot water cylinder to store all of the hot water. Having this cylinder is what separates them from Combi boilers and means that you will get a better flow of water when using more than 1 tap or shower.

Let’s start by taking a look at some of the key bits of information about both of the System boilers we’re comparing before going into more detail.

Boiler Feature	Worcester Bosch Greenstar 35CDi Classic System	Vaillant ecoTec Plus 637 System
Dimensions in mm (HxWxD)	760 x 440 x 360	720 x 440 x 410
ErP Efficiency Rating	A Heat	A Heat
Standard Warranty	2 years	5 years
Typical Price	£1,187	£1,350
Mounting	Wall mounted	Wall mounted
kW Options	35kW	37kW
Typical Installation Costs	£500 – £1,000	£500 – £1,000

Price

One boiler model won’t have the same price no matter where you purchase it from, so the prices above are there to give you an idea of what you might expect to pay. There’s just under £200 between these boilers, with the Greenstar 35CDi taking the edge in this round, which could end up being quite a saving depending on your budget. However, just because a boiler is cheaper, doesn’t mean that it should be chosen over another, it’s also important to find out what you’ll be getting for your money in terms of efficiency, output and the all important warranty.

It’s worth noting that you’ll still need to consider the cost of installation which will vary depending on the installer carrying out the work. We highly recommend comparing quotes from at least 3 installers to help you find the best deal.

Energy Efficiency

The Boiler Plus legislation, which means that Combi boilers have to meet a minimum efficiency of 92%, doesn’t apply to System boilers at this time. However, both of these boilers have been given an ErP A rating for their efficiency when heating the home.

To keep your boiler running as efficiently as possible after installation, you should have it serviced annually by a qualified engineer. This will also help to identify any potential faults before they become a big problem, and an annual service is often a requirement to keep the warranty valid.

Warranty

The warranty is one of the most important things you can consider when choosing a boiler as it helps to give you the peace of mind that you’re covered in the unlikely event that anything goes wrong.

As standard, the Greenstar has a 2 year warranty while the ecoTec Plus has a longer 5 year warranty which can be extended further to 7-10 years when installed by a Vaillant Advance Installer.

The length of the warranty is one thing but it’s just as important to find out what you’re covered for during that time by looking through the terms and conditions. With a Worcester Bosch boiler, you’ll be guaranteed against any material or manufacturing faults. A Vaillant warranty meanwhile, only covers failure of any components but not if caused by contaminated water.

Output

Measured in kilowatts (kW) the output tells you just how powerful a boiler is so that you know it’s capable of meeting the heating demands of your home. For a home with 2 or more bathrooms, you should look for a boiler with an output somewhere between 35-42kW.

With an output of 37kW, the Vaillant ecoTec sits perfectly in this range and the Greenstar 35CDi just makes it in, thanks to a 35kW output. So the Vaillant boasts the higher output, helping it to take this round, but only by the slightest of margins.

The Verdict

Picking a winner out of these System boilers is no easy task as each is more than capable of providing heating and hot water to a 4 bed home. Despite the shorter warranty, we’re going to hand victory to the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 35CDi as it’s great value for money and will help to save you just that little bit more money on your energy bills in the long run thanks to a 92% efficiency rating.

Other Contenders

If you’re not completely sold on either the Greenstar 35CDi or Vaillant ecoTec Plus, they’re not your only options. Here are a few more System boilers that you might want to consider:

Boiler Model	Output (kW)	ErP Rating	Typical Price
Intergas Compact HRE SB 40 System Gas Boiler	41kW	A Rated	£1,305
Viessmann B2HB Vitodens 200-W System Gas Boiler	35kW	A Rated	£1,300
Vokera Evolve S System Gas Boiler	35kW	A Rated	£684

What Next?

Once you’ve found the right boiler for your 4 bed home, you need to start thinking about the installation. To help you secure the best possible deal, we highly recommend getting at least 3 quotes from different installers.

To make getting those quotes easier, fill in one of our simple online forms today and you’ll get free quotes from up to 3 trusted installers in your area, allowing you to compare them and pick the best one. Best of all, there’s no-obligation whatsoever.

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