Best Boiler for a 3-Bed House: Combi, System & Regular

In virtually all cases, the best boiler for a 3-bed house will be a combi boiler. Having one of those as the main component of your home’s central heating system will ensure a good balance between power, saving space, and convenience.

Of course, you can always consider other boiler types, but combi boilers are the most common and effective solution for houses with up to 3 bedrooms and 1-2 bathrooms. What is the best boiler for a 3-bed house? You will find the answer in this article.

What size boiler is best for a 3 bed house?

The following boiler sizes are suitable for a 3 bedroom house: 

• Combi boiler (20-35 kW)
• System boiler (10-25 kW)
• Conventional boiler (10-25 kW)

The best boiler for a 3-bedroom house will need to be powerful enough to meet your home’s heating and hot water demands. This means that if you choose either a combi, system or regular boiler, it must have an adequate output size (measured in kilowatts, kW).

If the output size is too low, the boiler will struggle to run your radiators, and the hot water delivered to your showers and taps might not be hot enough. On the other hand, if it is excessively high, you would pay considerably more for your boiler and might unnecessarily spend a lot of money on energy bills, making it no longer the best boiler for a 3-bed house you could find.

Also, the best boiler for a 3-bed 2-bathroom house will need to be more powerful than models designed to supply hot water for just 1 bathroom.

If you own a larger house, check our articles Best Boiler for a 4-Bedroom House and Best Boilers For Large Houses (5-7 bedrooms) to find the combi, system or regular boiler that best meets your needs. For smaller properties, we recommend reading What is the Best Boiler for a Small House?

How many kW boiler for a 3-bedroom house?

What size a boiler should be will depend on the number of radiators within a 3-bedroom house rather than the total of bedrooms. In any case, there is not just one right answer to the question of how many kilowatts (kW) a boiler should be to meet the heating and hot water demand of a 3-bed house.

A good way to estimate what size boiler is best for a 3-bed house is to approximate 2kW for each radiator in your home. For instance, a house with 6 radiators will require a boiler with a central heating (CH) output of around 12kW.

Additionally, you must consider that combi boilers need to be more powerful than system and regular boilers to achieve the same result because they don’t store hot water for domestic use. Rather, they heat it and supply it to your hot water outlets on demand. This is why combi’s technical specifications also indicate domestic hot water (DHW) output. 

You can check the table below to get an idea of how many kW a boiler should be for a 3-bedroom house. It is also helpful if you want to compare a combi boiler vs system boiler or a combi vs a regular boiler.

Whilst all these tips and estimates can point you toward the right size, the only way to find out exactly what is the most appropriate boiler size for your 3-bed house is to get expert advice from a professional installer. However, finding the right installer could take a lot of time and effort. Fortunately, we can help you with this by connecting you with up to 4 qualified installers in your local area.

What boiler is suited for your 3-bedroom house?

Generally speaking, a combi boiler with a CH output rating of around 18kW is powerful enough for a 3-bedroom home. Similarly, a 13kW system or regular boiler can comfortably heat this type of property.

Regarding your home’s domestic hot water needs, a combi boiler needs a DHW output of around 40kW to meet the demand of a 3-bedroom house that also has 2 bathrooms. If the property has only 1 bathroom, then a lower DHW would be sufficient.

System and regular boilers, on the other hand, need a separate hot water storage cylinder as they don’t provide hot water on demand. Check the table below for estimated cylinder sizes. 

Even though system and regular boilers are suitable options, combis are generally best suited for 3-bedroom houses. As they don’t need external components (e.g. hot water storage cylinders and feed tanks), they can help you save a lot of space around your home. Nevertheless, we recommend a system boiler if your house has more than 2 bathrooms.

After reviewing dozens of models, we created a list of the best boilers for 3-bedroom houses. Below, you will find our 3 top picks for each boiler type. We considered high-quality units manufactured by the most reputable boiler manufacturers in the UK.

What is the best combi boiler for a 3-bed house?

These are our picks for the best combi boilers for a 3-bed house:

Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Lifestyle 30kW combi

These are actually two premium boiler models: Life and Style. They share all the main features, but the Style model is available in high gloss black or white. It is also more expensive. 

These boilers certainly are among the best combi boilers for a 3-bed house. They include wireless connectivity with the Bosch EasyControl. They are also ready to run on a 20% hydrogen blend. Optionally, you can equip them with an Intelligent Filling System. 

• Max. CH output: 30kW
• Max. DHW output: 30.2kW
• Suitable for: Properties with up to 15 radiators and more than 1 bathroom
• Efficiency: 94% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat and hot water
• Warranty: Up to a 12-year guarantee when installed by a Worcester Accredited Installer
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £1,200 (Life), £1,300 (Style)

Ideal Vogue Max C26

The Vogue Max C26 is part of Ideal’s premium range, which is a strong enough reason to include this model as part of our “best combi boiler for a 3-bedroom house” list. It is a reliable and long-lasting combi boiler ready to run safely and efficiently on a 20% hydrogen blend with no technical adjustments.

• Max. CH output: 18kW
• Max. DHW output: 26kW
• Suitable for: Homes with around 10 radiators and a single bathroom with a shower
• Efficiency: 93% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat and hot water
• Warranty: 10-year warranty, increased to 12 years if installed and serviced by a Max accredited installer
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £1,089

Viessmann Vitodens 100-W 26kw combi

The Vitodens 100-W is an efficient, compact, and quiet combi boiler suitable for smaller, well-insulated homes. It is also compatible with a 20% hydrogen blend and comes with smart technology that can help you save on energy costs. 

• Max. CH output: 25kW
• Max. DHW output: 31.7kW
• Suitable for: Homes with 10 -15 radiators and up to 2 bathrooms
• Efficiency: 94% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat and hot water
• Warranty: 5-year guarantee with the option to extend by a further 7 years
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £1,292

What is the best system boiler for a 3-bedroom house?

Our selection of the best system boiler for a 3-bedroom house includes the following: 

Viessmann Vitodens 200-W 11kW system

The Vitodens 200-W is a powerful gas condensing boiler. It is compatible with a 20% hydrogen blend and features quiet operation thanks to its low fan speed. Additionally, it includes an integrated WiFi interface for internet connection and a new environmentally responsible MatriX-Plus burner.

• Max. CH output: 11kW
• Suitable for: Perfectly suited to properties with up to 10 radiators.
• Efficiency: up to 98% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat
• Warranty: 10-year warranty option when registered through the Viessmann Installer Portal
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £1,344

Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Lifestyle 30kW system

As in the case of the combi boiler variant, the Greenstar 8000 Lifestyle 30kW system are two premium boiler models: Life and Style. They have the same benefits and special features as Greenstar 8000 Lifestyle combis, but, as system boilers, they need storage cylinders to supply hot water to your taps and showers.

• Max. CH output: 30kW
• Suitable for: Properties with up to 20 radiators and 2 bathrooms
• Efficiency: 94% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat
• Warranty: Up to a 12-year guarantee when installed by a Worcester Accredited Installer
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £1,236 (Life), £1,317 (Style)

Ideal Vogue Max S15

Ideal Vogue Max system boilers are made with premium components and feature a high-quality Ideal System Filter, enhancing efficiency.

• Max. CH output: 15kW
• Suitable for: Homes with around 10 radiators
• Efficiency: 92% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat
• Warranty: 10-year warranty, increased to 12 years if installed and serviced by a Max accredited installer
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £1,030

What is the best regular boiler for a 3-bed house?

Whilst regular boilers are technically a valid option for a 3-bed home, we recommend installing a new regular boiler only if you already have one of these installed at home. 

They are more space-consuming than system boilers and much more than combis. On the other hand, a like-for-like regular boiler swap is usually cheaper than changing to a different type of boiler.

This is our selection of the best regular boilers for a 3-bed house:

Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Life 30kW regular

The Greenstar 8000 Life 30kW regular boiler is a highly reliable condensing regular gas boiler. Besides featuring a modern design, its main unit was designed for compact wall-mounted installation.

• Max. CH output: 30kW
• Suitable for: Homes with up to 20 radiators
• Efficiency: 94% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat
• Warranty: 5 years as standard. It can be extended to 12 years when installed by a Worcester Bosch Accredited Installer
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £1,255

Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 412

This is a high-performance boiler featuring excellent control and efficiency. The main unit is compact enough to fit in a kitchen cupboard. It is compatible with smart controls and smartphone apps such as Vaillant’s vSMART. 

• Max. CH output: 12.3kW
• Suitable for: Homes with up to 10 radiators.
• Efficiency: 94% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat
• Warranty: 5-year guarantee as standard, with 7 to 10 years available when you book a Vaillant Advance installer
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £805\

Ideal Logic Max H12

Ideal Logic Max regular boilers include a high-quality Ideal System Filter, enhancing efficiency.

• Max. CH output: 12kW
• Suitable for: Homes with around 10 radiators and low demand for heating
• Efficiency: 93% efficiency and ErP A-rated for heat
• Warranty: 10-year parts and labour warranty available
• Estimated price (Exc. installation): £885

At GreenMatch, we are committed to helping you navigate the transition to more sustainable ways of heating your home. In this regard, switching to low-carbon systems such as solar panels in the UK, heat pumps, or domestic biomass boilers may be the greenest choice. However, we know that these are expensive —and sometimes prohibitive— alternatives to gas boilers.

If you are not ready yet to switch but still want to make a difference for the environment, consider installing a highly-efficient boiler. New boiler cost for a 3-bed house might be high too; however, replacing a 70% efficient old gas boiler with a 90% efficient one could save you up to £630 per year on your energy bills but also burn around 22% less fuel to achieve the same heating result. 

According to Ofgem, the average household in the UK (2-3 people) uses approximately 12,000 kWh of gas each year. On the other hand, the UK government points out that carbon emissions for homes on the average energy fuel mix are currently 0.183 kg of CO2 equivalent per kWh of gas.

If you burn 22% less gas due to your boiler’s improved efficiency, then you would save around 483kg of CO2 equivalent per year. That is the amount of CO2 that 23 fully grown trees would take 1 year to absorb. In other words, you can make a difference by upgrading your boiler! Get started by clicking the button below.

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