Aga fitting and running costs

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 25, 2005

• #1

My wife has her heart set on an Aga in a barn (that is grade 2 listed) that we are converting. When the Aga constutant visited, he came up with a range of reasons why an oil aga wasn't suitable. - (There is no mains gas or that would be the obvious choice.) His reasons related to the height of the flue and my difficulties in gaining planning permission and the need to be a certain distance from the the adjoining room which is double story, where the kitchin is single storey. He was heavily recomending a 13 amp electric model - so much so, I felt that he was on more commission for selling this product! I am worried about the running costs of the electric model, which he says is similar to the running of an oil aga!
Does anyone have any information on fitting and positioning requrements and running costs?

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #2

The website is quite comprehensive, there's a page for running costs and one for flue requirement and lots more



Aga Technical

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #3

The choice seems to be between 40litres of oil a week at 35p and rising, plus biannual servicing at 100quid a go, or 220 units of electricity a week. Either way, isn't that getting close to 1000quid a year to run a cooker?

I've been looking at agas myself and all the aga people I've spoken to say the electric one has lower running costs. However mine would be sited in an inglenook, which aesthetically (and perhaps practically) would work better with a traditional flue.

If you really want oil, and can't sort out a chimney because of your listed house, have you considered something better than an aga? Sandyford do ranges with condensing boilers that can flued off in any direction, put on timers, turned up/down/off at will, and heat up from cold very quickly. Saves having to have two cookers in the summer and cuts down on bills. They can of course be left on all the time.

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #4

For 11,440 units I would pay £680 from Atlantic (regular day tariff)

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #5

Substantially cheaper than oil at 35p/litre! But do agas lose their romance when plugged into a 13 amp socket?

I wouldn't leave a kW bar heater on 24/7, or my ordinary electric cooker, but I would leave my aga on - how strange!

It would seem that if electric and oil agas use the same amount of heat, oil heating might be around 20% more expensive than electric heating. (perhaps 15% with modern oil burners, bit certainly considerably more!)

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #6

What about a solid-fuel one?

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #7

If the OP can't fit oil, I doubt he will be able to fit solid fuel. I am however getting interested in aga fuel consumption...

If the smallest oil aga uses 40litres a week = aprox 411kWh of energy. Where on earth does all that energy go - especially since the electric one only uses 220!

The smallest solid fuel agas use about 50kg of "solid fuel" a week. That again works out about 400kWh of energy, and aga advertise 425kWh for natural gas, and propane works out to a similar figure.

So
oil(35p/litre) = 728 (+2*100 servicing) = 928
solid fuel(15quid/cwt) = 780 (+chimney sweep) = 880
electric (7p/unit) = 800

Running an aga is clearly an expensive hobby, but I am staggered by how inefficient they are. Condensing oil boilers are supposedly 95% efficient. An oil aga, compared to an electric one isn't even 55% efficient!

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #8

I wondered about the consumption of the all-electric models as well - something amiss with the numbers or I wonder if the electric one is possibly a 'cut down' version lacking the sheer cooking capacity of the 'proper' ones ? Are they better insulated so you don't pay to heat the room as well ? Just speculation . . .

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #9

Well, I'm going to a cooking demonstration in a couple of weeks which will be done on an electric aga, so I'll let you know...

On the other hand I would not be surprised if agas were just shockingly inefficient (not to mention their inate wastefulness), and the electric one just happens to be 100% efficient. The night storage aga, which is about twice the weight of a normal aga, only uses slightly more energy than a 13amp one. This reinforces my suspicion that aga are quite honest with their consumption estimates.

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #10

I have heard that if you fit an AGA into a listed property that does not currently have one, you can claim VAT relief.....

This may of course just be a rural myth, but it is worth checking out.

My father-in-law is a small AGA dealer, and he has told me that some of the larger dealers pre-order AGAs in bulk cheaply. The theory that the AGA rep/ salesman was trying to flog you an elecrtic one may hold some water, especially if the dealership has pre-ordered a number of these models. I would try another AGA dealer to see what their response would be...

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 26, 2005

• #11

...when its's a Rayburn <IMG SRC="http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussing/smileys/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">

Same company, the new Rayburns are still made in the UK, apparently Agas now are not. Rayburn make several balanced flue oil fired models, which can also do your heating and hot water if you need it. These can be sited on any outside wall. If you only want a cooker, rayburn do a fit anywhere powered flue jobbie that will vent through pipes running in the floor void!

Esse (favoured by florence nightingale apparently) will soon have a similar range that will run on calor gas and needs no flue at all, it uses a catalytic converter to neutralise nasty bits of the fumes so it vents into the room with no heat loss whatsoever.

It's worth researching the makes and models to find something that fits your requirements.

*I haven’t spell checked this - I hope the spelling police aren’t looking*

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 27, 2005

• #12

We inherited an electric aga when we moved recently.
I would say it is more expensive than oil to run but about the same as an LPG one both of which I have had before.
Agas are an expensive hobby but frankly we haven't had any other cooker for 9 years now and wouldn't change ours for anything.

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 28, 2005

• #13

I have mentioned this before in previous debates about Aga running costs -- our Aga consultant told us that the electric 4 oven aga would cost up to 50% more than oil, ( gas not available to us in this neck of the woods).
In our case, the constant temperature throughout the year is proving useful in keeping our flint and brick house warm and incidentally not overhot this summer!!
Time spent cooking is significantly reduced and less labour intensive. However I do believe that an Aga is most successfully used in large or very hectic households where there is demand for lots of home cooking.
Like many ,I would not be without the Aga now I have one.

How about a Stanley? We had one in our previous house and I was very happy with it.

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Aug 29, 2005

• #14

Oil must have been a lot cheaper when you got that advice - 9p/litre?

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Sep 5, 2005

• #15

Firstly, the 13A AGA draws a massive 220 units per week in 2 oven form, or 273 in 4 oven. I know of someone who uses one (or rather used one) in cooking demos and the consumption far exxceeded that - I have heard that AGA are besieged with complaints of running costs. Aga themselves admit that the 220 units is before the lids are lifted.

The night storage version costs 9K and is notorious for burning out elements.

Most people in the trade (as I am) would say that the purchase of an AGA is the purchase of a badge - you are paying over the top for a brand name. There are a wealth of better products about - have you looked at the Everhot (http://www.everhot.co.uk) - it uses 88 units per week, has much better controlability, bigger ovens, grill etc. It also plugs into a 13A supply.

As for oil Agas - that was fine when oil was 9p per litre - now it is 35p it is no joke. Look for something that does not have continuous burn - Redfyre or Rayburn for example.



http://www.everhot.co.uk

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Sep 5, 2005

• #16

88 units a week!!!

I've ordered a brochure...

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Sep 7, 2005

• #17

We have just installed an electric aga. Much cheaper to run than any of the other models and servicing is only every 3 years instead of annually. I can recommend the electric model. Also much cleaner & less to go wrong.

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Mar 31, 2006

• #18

Whow! I may be a bit late regarding the Aga thread but what a lot of useful information!! Many thanks. I am debating at present to fit a range into a beautiful historic 50's property (yes they exist!) and whether I can power a range (AGA or...) through photovoltaic panels or a wood pellet burner. Electric seems therefor the answer but at that consumption... many thanks again for everyones input. Take a look at ruralenergy.co.uk and navitron.org.uk

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Mar 31, 2006

• #19

please don't fit an electric AGA and if you do it won't run off photo panels the AGA takes a 6kw load during charge that,s 60p an hour or 22p on economy 7, the electricity board called today and confirmed that our AGA has been charging itself during the day- technically AGA say it carn't do this but rest assured as God and two electricians are my witness they can, if you really want to install 20 cwt of cast iron into your kitchen get a standard Rayburn not an AGA using gas you don't pay for the badgeAND YOU KNOW WHEN IT'S ON!!!

 

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Anonymous

Guest

• Mar 31, 2006

• #20

Many thanks!! I do have suspicions with regards to electric AGAs. I will look into Rayburns and others. Not badge mad! I will be connected to gas but could use LPG tho' thats really expensive. Found something about Evershots on the forum. Do you mean that your AGA used electricity when it shouldnt have??