+1 for Worcester Bosch. I installed my 24kW System boiler about 15 years ago and all I've had to do is replace the (cheap) pump this year. I too did all the work then got my Corgi-approved mate to test & sign it off. Unfortunately, like most people, I wouldn't have a clue about how to find and trust an installer. Worst thing is getting a recommendation from a friend who knows nothing about how to do the work properly and just pays up! Vic - one thing about 'instant' hot water; have you got a modern incoming mains water pipe? When I pulled out the lead street-supply pipe to my 1930s house, the pipe bore wasn't much bigger than a pencil! 20mm plastic pipe replacement certainly made a difference to the flowrate! Happy to chat about all this if you need to
-1 for Worcester Bosch My sons Worcester Bosch Combi installed in 2015 failed a few days before the warranty expired, it was "fixed" under warranty and failed again 1 year later with exactly the same problem. Heat exchanger and pump replaced at a cost of hundreds of pounds. We live in a very hard water area so perhaps that's significant? When my other son was getting quotes for a new boiler a couple of independents refused to fit Worcester Bosch. Personally I would probably go for a Viessmann because they us a stainless steel heat exchanger instead of aluminium that most competitors use.
My daughter just moved in to her first house. The previous owners hadn’t had their gas back boiler serviced for 18 years! One of the stipulations was for it to be serviced and unsurprisingly it was condemned so they had to fit a new (Worcester) boiler before they exchanged. One thing I fitted a few years ago to ours was a Honeywell thermostat system which allows me to control the temperature and timing of each of the radiator’s individually. It was initially expensive to fit but it’s really helps controlling the bills especially now we use less rooms since the girls moved out.
I’ve got to say as a RGE i hate Worcester’s , I think all the other boilers have caught up on quality , they’re really expensive to repair when they go wrong . I’ve had bad experience with glow worm / valiant as their customer services are rubbish , I’ve turned to ideal and the ideal vogue is a great boiler but when the faults start showing on these I’ll move on again . it does seem different areas prefer different manufacturers tho . Always get a recommendation for an installer poss Facebook local notice board .
Another vote for Viessman. My local plumber wanted 3300 for the job. Went with a online quote from a nationwide company and got the same boiler all in for 1950. Chap turned up on time, the roofers came at some point to do the flu and it was all done in a few hours. The price was fixed, regardless of the amount of plumbing they had to do and for a extra 100 they offer to fit the boiler to a different place. Again, regardless of the amount of plumbing it requires. The company phoned 3-4 times during the day to see how it was going. It was these people I used. https://www.boilercentral.com/
I was talking to guy up the road who is completely refurbishing an old property and asked him about the central heating system he installed. He went with a conventional combi boiler and said although he could get a grant for a heat pump it was both more expensive to install & had downsides. A heat pump works best in a fully & well insulated house. The pump can't heat the water on demand it requires a hot water cylinder. Which itself requires an element to heat it above 60c (to kill bacteria etc) The pump heats water to ~50c whereas a combi will heat it to ~70c. This means you need newer more efficient radiators (& pipes) or underfloor heating installed. So given all the right circumstances a heat pump is probably more efficient but there could be a considerable expense in ensuring all those circumstance are met.