Worcester Bosch Greenstar 36CDi Compact Combi Boiler – Review

The Worcester Bosch Greenstar 36CDi is the epitome of ‘small but mighty.’ Here we will give you a full rundown of this compact combi boiler from the Worcester Greenstar range, to help you decide whether it’s a good fit for your home.

Before we get down to the details, let’s give you a quick introduction to the UK’s leading boiler manufacturer, Worcester Bosch. We’re sure you’ll have heard the name before but what you may not know is that the company has been operating for decades – since 1962 to be exact. Today they’re known for their first class domestic heating systems, which offer excellent reliability, high efficiency and powerful performance. With a whole range of boilers on offer, you’ll have no trouble finding a Worcester Bosch boiler to meet your needs. But will it be the 36CDi? Let’s find out.

Will the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 36CDi be suitable for my home?

The most powerful model in the Greenstar CDi Compact combi range, the 36CDi has central heating and hot water outputs of 24kW and 36kW, respectively. It’s designed for big family homes, with 3-4 large bedrooms and can power between 15 and 20 radiators with ease. If you haven’t already, do a quick count up and see how many you have.

Along with great outputs, the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 36CDi Compact also has a good hot water flow rate of 12.9 l/min. This means it will be able to provide hot water to more than one bathroom and is ideal for households with a higher hot water demand.

Before making up your mind, we’d like to suggest getting your mains pressure checked. Combi boilers require quite a bit of power so your mains pressure will need to be up to standard.

Not sure you need as much power? Those with smaller homes may benefit from looking at the lower output models in the Greenstar Compact combi range. The Greenstar 28CDi and Greenstar 32CDi have slightly lower hot water outputs and flow rates of 10 l/min and 11.5 l/min, which may be sufficient for your household.

If you’d like to compare the Worcester 36CDi compact with a similar boiler from another brand, we’d suggest the ecoFit Pure 830 Combi from Vaillant. This combination boiler also boasts a compact design but has a higher central heating output of 30kW but a slightly lower flow rate of 12.2 l/min.

Worcester 36CDi Compact Combi controls

Like most combi boilers, the Worcester 36CDi Compact has standard controls, located under its front flap. It’s relatively easy to operate with a clear display, buttons for altering the temperature and various operating modes like ‘holiday mode’ and ‘pre-heat’ mode.

The ability to control time and temperature is a key requirement of the Boiler Plus regulations, which came into force back in April 2018. They also set the minimum levels of energy efficiency a boiler must operate and require combi boilers, like the 36CDi to have one of the following:

Smart control: Compatibility with a smart device and controller to automate boiler processes

Load compensation: The functionality to alter water temperature based on room temperature

Weather compensation: The functionality to alter water temperature based on the temperature outside

Passive Flue Gas Heat Recovery Device: Sounds more complicated than it is but involves using what would otherwise be wasted flue gas to heat water

Here at Hometree, we believe the best way to ensure your boiler is compliant with the regulations is to link it up with a smart thermostat and controller. There are some great options out there, such as the Bosch EasyControl, Worcester Wave, or the Nest and Hive. All of these smart thermostats have their own apps, which give you the freedom to monitor and control your heating system from any location.

But why pay for a smart thermostat, when you could get one for free? Choose Hometree to install your Worcester Bosch CDi Compact, and we’ll give you a Honeywell Lyric T6 Smart Thermostat free of charge. It’s fully compatible with the 36CDi Compact and can be controlled via its smartphone app so that you can alter your heating system on the go.

Worcester 36CDi Compact size

One of the reasons this Worcester combi boiler is so popular with homeowners is because of its compact size. The Greenstar 36CDi measures at 690x390x280mm and should fit in a standard kitchen cupboard. It’s always worth measuring up though. There’d be nothing worse than ordering your boiler and finding it doesn’t fit where you want it to!

Worcester Bosch Greenstar 36CDi Compact Warranty

The great thing about choosing Hometree to install your new boiler is that we’ll give you a 5-year warranty for free. If you want to extend it for a further 5 years, we can do this hassle-free for a small extra charge.

If that wasn’t enough, Hometree are Worcester Accredited Installers, Which? Trusted Traders and rated Excellent on Trustpilot. We don’t like to show off, but the reviews say it all – we’re the best Gas Safe engineers for the job.

Worcester 36CDi Energy Efficiency

We’re pleased to say the Worcester 36CDi combi boiler has a fantastic ErP of 92%, giving it an overall rating of A. If you’re feeling a little confused as to what this means, basically ErP stands for Energy-related Products and is the system used to determine how energy efficient a boiler is. Just like at school, A is the best you can get. By swapping your old, inefficient boiler (which probably has a lower ErP) for the Worcester Bosch 36CDi Compact combi, you should see a reduction in your energy costs. Not only that but you’ll also be doing your bit to help the environment too. It’s good news all around.

Verdict – Is the Worcester Bosch 36CDi Compact Combi the right boiler for you?

If you’re looking for a powerful boiler that won’t take up a lot of space in your home, the Worcester Bosch 36CDi Compact will tick the boxes. It’s small but mighty and will undoubtedly provide sufficient levels of heating for households with up to 20 radiators. There are faster flow rates out there, but the 12.9 l/min should be more than enough to accommodate a family household with two bathrooms.

Greater functionality can be discovered by pairing the 36CDi with a smart thermostat and controller. It’s worth weighing up your options to find the best fit for you, but all should give you the chance to optimise your boiler’s efficiency and keep your running costs to the minimum.

Interested in replacing your existing boiler with the Greenstar 36CDi? Get in touch with Hometree today.

	Worcester Bosch Greenstar 36CDi Compact
ErP rating (energy efficiency)	A (92%)
Size (HxWxD in mm)	690x390x280
Heating output (kW)	24
How water output (kW)	36
Flow rate (litres/min)	12.9
Standard warranty (years)	5 (extended warranties available)
Other available sizes (kW)	28, 32