Aga news

An Aga refurbished!

Because we love pics of Agas with dogs here is one of Dixie the cocker spaniel with a 4 oven cooker we refurbished and re-enamelled a couple of weeks ago! Thanks to Kate in Lancashire for this picture :)

Aga oil consumption running costs (oil Aga running costs)

I recently added lots of information on our electric Aga conversions and realised that I have made a lot of assumptions over the years about the running costs of oil Aga cookers. I tried to get some more accurate information by collecting information on our Facebook page from helpful followers. Lets have a look at what conclusions we can draw...

• Averaging out the responses shows that oil Aga cookers without water boilers use 2124 litres per year. This is ~41 litres per week. At 2017 oil prices (47ppl inc VAT approx) this is £998 per year. Most of these respondents also had two services a year. Assuming a cost of £100 per service then an oil Aga total running costs are £1198 per year.
• For Agas with boilers then oil consumption appears to jump to around 3120 litres per year or £1488 per year. With servicing a total of £1688 can be assumed. 
• In addition to these direct costs there is the maintenance of the flue, oil lines and oil tank. Impossible to get a single figure for all these combined but £150-250 a year seems reasonable allowing for sweeping, repairs and eventual replacement of the 'big ticket' items like tank and flue.
• So all in all (taking mid point £200 figure for maintenance) we get a figure of £1398 per year (£26.88p/w) to run a standard Aga cooker and £1888 per year (£36.31) to run an Aga cooker with water heater/boiler.

It's important to note that these are averages and will vary from user to user but hopefully they are a useful guide that will help you work out if your Aga is working normally or if something is wrong! 

Do let me know if you have more accurate figures than this! 

'Electrikit' Aga conversion electric supply requirements

The 'Electrikit' simply plugs into two 13amp sockets. These can be a separate circuit or part of an existing circuit.

• The hob elements are each rated at 1.4kw so with both hobs in action your maximum requirement is for 2.8kw. The hobs run off one of the two 13amp sockets.
• The oven element is 1.8kw with a further 850w oven element if your cooker is a 4 oven model. The ovens, with a maximum requirement of 1.8Kw for a 2 oven model and 2.65kw for a 4 oven model, run off the other plug socket.

Find out more on our 'Aga electric conversions homepage'

Is an 'Electrikit' electric Aga conversion still... an Aga?!

The short answer is yes! What defines an Aga? Two things I'd say...

• The main thing is the method of cooking. In Aga cookers the heat stored in the castings of the ovens is radiated into the whatever you place in the oven. Its a gentler method of cooking than the forced air convection in a normal oven. In our conversions your ovens cook in exactly the same way as they did before, it's still an Aga!. The only difference is that by moving the heat source (the elements) closer to the oven castings they can be heated up quicker. 
• The second thing that defines an Aga is the background heat it provides. This is otherwise known as the 'can you warm your bum on it?' question. Happily the answer is yes! Running the ovens on normal heat, or even at half heat, will provide a nice warm perch for your bum; even with the hotplates off entirely. You can still dry washing on it too using our drying racks! It will give off less heat than an old oil or gas (especially if the insulation is poor!) so you may need to turn the kitchen radiator back on. Rest assured this is a good thing. Using your Aga to heat your kitchen is just about the most expensive way of doing it!  

Find out more on our 'Aga electric conversions homepage'

Electrikit Aga cookers and heating water

The simple answer is than an 'Electrikit' converted cooker will not contribute to your hot water at all. 

You may think this is bad news, it's not. Using your Aga to heat water is almost certainly the most expensive way imaginable short of a cauldron over an open fire! Aga 'back boilers' are simple gravity systems that have no 'off' switch and suck huge amounts of energy/heat from your cooker that the burners then have to work hard to replace. The simple fact is that Agas are not primarily designed to heat water.

The water is not heated by an Aga 'that is already hot' but rather by an Aga that has to work much harder to stay hot! 

You are much better off leaving the hot water to your dedicated hot water system and letting your cooker do the cooking - this applies even if you aren't converting to electric. 

The pic below shows a boiler from an Aga 'Standard', it's like a jacket full of water that hugs the main barrel and absorbs heat from it.

Find out more on our 'Aga electric conversions homepage'

Original Aga warranty and invoice for 1954 cooker!

Nothing quite like an Aga. Giles got in touch via e-mail looking for some hinge springs for the Aga his father installed in 1954. It's cooked him Christmas dinner every year of his life! This is the wonderful Aga in question with warranty and invoice; cooker still going strong!

Do you turn your Aga off over the summer?

On Sunday I asked if you turn your cooker off at all during the warmer months. I've tallied up the votes and to be honest I am surprised. I had to use some creativity when allocating some comments - "Husband and I argue every year; he usually wins" went in the 'Yes' column for example - but I think it's pretty accurate.
Just over 55% of Aga owners leave their cooker on all the time, is this what you expected?

How to use 'Electrikit' electric Aga conversion hotplates

Using the hotplates is very simple, just turn to the heat you require. The hotplates have 8 settings with 7 being roughly equivalent to your 'hotplate' currently and 4 equivalent to your current 'simmering' plate.

You can run one or both plates at any temperature or none so use them in exactly the same way. From cold to max temperature takes approximately 15mins. 'Electrikit' hotplates, unlike traditional Agas or basic electric conversions, do not lose heat and can maintain their temperature for as long as you like.

Important note...

• Running the hotplates at maximum temperature (setting 8) with the lids closed can damage the hotplate surface as it becomes too hot! 

Find out more on our 'Aga electric conversions homepage'

Remote control of 'Electrikit' electric Aga conversions

The 'Electrikit' plugs into two normal wall/kitchen sockets. One powers the hobs and one the ovens. By using internet enabled plugs it is possible to control the ovens, hobs or both using an app on your phone or tablet from inside or home or anywhere from which you have mobile signal or access to wifi.

The principle is similar to Agas own remote control system but in practice is its much simpler. You set the temperature you want on the oven or hotplate (one or both) before turning off and you can then turn the cooker on to this temperature. You cannot vary temperatures, your choice is...

1. Turn hotplates or oven off
2. Turn hotplates or oven on to preset temperature.

You can control this manually or have timers set up. An example scenario would be that you leave the oven set to 220 degree centigrade and turn on manually and hour or two before you get home. Alternatively, if your schedule  is regular, you can program the app to have the ovens hot (and kitchen warm!) just as you walk in the door. 

It's a useful system that requires the below...

• Enough space in front and above the plug for the additional technology. If the plugs for the conversion are sited behind the cooker there is plenty of room to keep everything hidden.
• A decent wifi signal to the Aga
• A smartphone or tablet

The cost is £169 + VAT, we'll set everything up for you and show you how to use it! To set up we will need access to your tablet or smartphone. We'll help you troubleshoot this system if required by phone and warranty the internet enabled plugs for 12 months. 

Find out more on our 'Aga electric conversions homepage'

Electric Aga conversion servicing (Electrikits)

Hmmm, I may struggle to pad this post out, see the bullet point below for the servicing requirements of your newly converted 'Electrikit' Aga!

• No servicing is required on our 'Electrikit' electric Aga conversions. Ever. It's another reason that the running costs of our conversions are so much lower.

Find out more on our 'Aga electric conversions homepage'