the power of the boiler determines the hot water delivery, the central heating is largely irrelevant as even the lowest powered boiler will handle an average size house. basically, the more powerful the boiler the hotter and faster the hot water will be. id recommend an absolute minimum of 28kw and preferably 30kw or higher (they're up to something silly like 45kw at the moment!)
you can also buy a boiler with a pre-heat function, which will give you a much faster delivery of hot water but will cost more in gas to run.
and yes a more powerful boiler will need a bigger supply of gas and hence a larger diameter gas pipe, this can add significantly to the price of the job depending on how far from the gas meter the boiler is and what size dia pipe is needed, copper pipe is very expensive and gets more expensive as the diameter increases.
your system will need flushing to comply with the new boilers warranty but not necessarily power flushed, depends on how old and sludged up your old system is.
and theres nothing frightening about it ethel, just find 3 independant boiler installers, ask them what boiler they recommend and the power of it (let me know and i'll tell you if they're good boilers or not) and get written quotes. if you want to you can ask them to price for both their choice of boiler and one of your own. dont forget to discuss the size of the gas supply needed as you wont believe the number of installers who don't provide an adequate supply of gas to the boiler (and the boiler makers will charge you if you call them out because your boilers not working correctly and its an installation fault) finally ask them how they will flush the system as inadequate flushing is the number one excuse the boiler makers will use to get out of the warranty.
all you've got to do then is select your preferred installer and clear out of the house for the day if you can't stand the noise. inspect the work, try the hot water