The Competition and Markets Authority has secured commitments from boiler manufacturer Worcester Bosch, which is changing the marketing around its products following an investigation into possible greenwashing1. Consumer body Which? responded to the commitments on 9 August 20241.
Which? said it had previously made clear that many of the "hydrogen ready" marketing claims made by the industry may mislead consumers1. Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:
Concha added that with millions of households needing to make their homes more energy-efficient over the coming years, including installing new insulation and heating systems, it is more important than ever that the CMA keeps a close eye on the claims made by firms about their products and services, and that it should not hesitate to take action if any companies are not accurately representing their green credentials1.
The specific wording Worcester Bosch is changing, the products affected and the timetable for the changes have not been reported1. The CMA's own announcement of the commitments is not among the material available here, so the terms Worcester Bosch has agreed to are not set out1.
Why it matters for households
Marketing language around heating carries weight because it shapes what householders expect a boiler or heat pump to do, and how future-proof they believe it to be. A "hydrogen ready" label suggests an appliance will run on hydrogen when that becomes available, but Which? has said such claims may mislead consumers1. For a household weighing up a replacement boiler, the practical question is what the appliance runs on now, and what it can be converted to later, rather than what a label implies about the future.
Energy independence at home rests on knowing what a heating system actually consumes and how efficiently it does so. Where marketing overstates environmental credentials, households can end up paying for a product on the strength of a claim that does not hold. The commitments secured from Worcester Bosch concern the marketing around its products rather than the products themselves1. Details of how the Worcester Bosch range is described, and how that compares with alternatives such as Viessmann or Vaillant, have not been reported1.
Which? framed the outcome as a signal to the wider market, saying the CMA should not hesitate to act where firms are not accurately representing their green credentials1. That applies across the boilers and heating market, including the Worcester Bosch Greenstar range and comparisons such as the tepeo Zero Emission Boiler against a gas boiler.
What happens next
Worcester Bosch is changing the marketing around its products1. No date has been given for when those changes take effect, and no further steps by the CMA have been reported1.