Investigation launched into boiler company Worcester Bosch based in the West Midlands

An investigation has been launched into Worcester Bosch over whether it has been misleading consumers.

The investigation is being carried out Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and relates to whether the boiler company has been marketing a range of gas boilers as ‘hydrogen-blend ready’.

The company will now be looked into by the CMA over whether it is misleading shoppers with claims about these products and whether they ‘may mislead shoppers into thinking they are more environmentally friendly than they are’.

The investigation will focus around the boilers, which range in price from around £1,500 to £3,200. It follows a Sky News investigation in September which looked into potentially misleading claims being made by a number of boiling companies, including Worcester Bosch.

The CMA’s investigation will look at several marketing practices. These include the use of labels stating that its boilers can run on a blend of 20 per cent hydrogen and natural gas. The CMA said this may give the impression this is a special feature despite all boilers in the UK being legally required to operate this way since the mid-1990s.

They will also look at information and messaging on the use of hydrogen for home heating in the UK – despite this not currently being available. The CMA is also probing claims that “falsely suggest hydrogen-blend ready boilers will reduce a household’s carbon footprint”.

After reviewing their marketing, the CMA has also written to 12 other businesses that sell ‘hydrogen-blend’ boilers, to warn that they could be breaching consumer protection law.

What has the CMA said about its probe into Worcester Bosch?

George Lusty, senior director for consumer protection at the CMA, said: “Businesses need to be clear about the environmental credentials of the products they’re selling. This is especially important for heating products like home boilers, which are an expensive and long-term purchase.

“We set out our concerns earlier this year about businesses marketing boilers as ‘hydrogen-blend’. We’ll now be scrutinising green claims from Worcester Bosch to see if they mislead shoppers.

“In the meantime, we’ll continue to keep a close eye on practices in the sector.”

Worcester Bosch statement

A spokesperson for Worcester Bosch told Insider Media: “We are in receipt of notice of investigation from the CMA and are assisting them in full with provision of information as requested.”