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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get rid of an AGA

135 replies

Cookiedough123 · 08/08/2021 15:50

Can someone tell me whether they would swap an AGA for a range cooker for example..

We are possibly buying a house with an AGA. It's run on gas. Are they worth it? Apparently the gas bill is between 125-200 a month! These are people who have their heating on a lot though.. I am a bit more scrimpy. I am keen to keep but BF wants to get rid.

Can I have thoughts on an AGA please

OP posts:
transformandriseup · 08/08/2021 16:55

MIL had one in her cottage and it was hard work for her (at her age) to keep it going and was expensive. She has a stylish range cooker now and it doesn't look our of place in her kitchen.

Removing an aga can be expensive though because of the potential asbestos.

Original poster
Cookiedough123 · 08/08/2021 17:20

I hadn't thought of the fact it could replace the kettle, microwave, dryer etc. I think it would definitely be worth trying it for 6 months.

OP posts:
VaccineSticker · 08/08/2021 17:23

I can’t think of anything more wasteful financially and environmentally.
The faster we stop using fossil fuels the better. With a number of countries in the last 6 months being either on fire or flooded, now is the time to bin anything that can help reduce your house carbon emissions.

FlyingSoHigh · 08/08/2021 17:25

We got rid of ours - they are crazy expensive to run, too hot to have on summer so you still need a normal oven and hob, plus really difficult to use.

21Bee · 08/08/2021 17:34

Why not just convert it to an electric AGA?

Rumblebear · 08/08/2021 17:34

I can't wait to get rid of ours. It's oil and was there when we moved in. Yes we use it for drying in the winter and kettle etc but it's so wasteful and expensive and we need a cooker anyway as we can't have it on in summer. Will be getting a range when we have our kitchen redone. I will miss cooking the Xmas turkey in it though...

ViceLikeBlip · 08/08/2021 17:38

@3luckystars

I can’t believe they cost that much to run!! That’s shocking! I pulled into a petrol station once and the car in front of me had put €100+ into their car I just don’t know how people afford to spend that much on fuel. I could not pay that much for it to go up in smoke, it’s like burning money (to me anyway, I am not wealthy though so feel free to ignore my opinion) I don’t see the attraction of them, except the fun we had spitting on my grandparents one as children and watching it roll off and disappear, but that’s not worth €150 a week though. Grin Anyway, good luck with it whatever you decide.
You can't tell how much someone spends on petrol per month just by how much they fill up with at one time! That €100 could have lasted them 3 days or 3 weeks?
BecclesB · 08/08/2021 17:38

There was an electric aga in our house when we moved and it cost so much in electricity- sold it on eBay for £2,300. The buyer dismantled and took it away. We now have a range cooker which is so much better!

ViceLikeBlip · 08/08/2021 17:40

@21Bee

Why not just convert it to an electric AGA?
I looked into this, and the conversion itself is eye-wateringly expensive.
ViceLikeBlip · 08/08/2021 17:44

An AGA will save you some money on kettle, toaster etc, but it's still more expensive. For me it's a luxury, but a really lovely one. We compromise by having it on from Christmas til about March. I would definitely want a separate electric oven as well- it would horrible (and still expensive!) to have to have it on all summer.

ViceLikeBlip · 08/08/2021 17:45

Ps the AGA will also need a yearly (or poss you can get away with 2 yearly) service, similar to a boiler, which comes in at about £150 round here.

EastWestWhosBest · 08/08/2021 17:47

I grew up with one. We had a large gas tank in the garden which was refilled every so often. No idea what it cost to run.

I know my mother hated it. It was good for traditional cooking, so roasts, bread, cakes etc but less so for anything that requires more ‘finesse’. The down side is that it’s always on. The upside is that it’s always on. In a heatwave it’s still a hot lump of metal in the kitchen. But in the winter that’s a dream. Great for drying washing etc.

Really, it’s ideal for a farmhouse kitchen where someone is at home all day and can make use of it. It’s not so good for modern living.

Iwant2move · 08/08/2021 17:47

Love love love mine. Switched it off during the heat wave. I miss it so much. I did go on a course to learn how to use it before I moved in the house. Your local Aga showroom will have courses.

SalaciousCrumble · 08/08/2021 17:52

We have a gas one and I hate it. Temperamental, you have to turn the whole thing on and wait to use the hotplate (or have it on all the time which is insanely expensive and wasteful) everything is burned or raw (or both). I want to get rid of it but it's so expensive to replace as we'd need a new boiler, re-plumbing and a new oven. The environmental cost makes me shudder too. It's on my hit list and I can't wait to get rid of it. By all means try for a few months in case you love it but don't feel guilty if you still hate it and want to get rid!

SantiagoSky · 08/08/2021 17:53

Much better for the environment and your wallet to get rid of it.

DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat · 08/08/2021 17:54

I love mine so much I don’t ever want to live somewhere without one. Makes cooking so much easier. I do turn it off over the summer though otherwise it’s just too hot in the house. I have an electric oven for the rest of the time. But when it’s on, as PPs, I don’t need the electric kettle and toaster, I use the dryer less and as it heats such a large space where I spend most of my time, I don’t put the heating on very often. Mine also heats the hot water tank. The months it’s on probably average about GBP180 a month in gas and obviously, the months when it’s off the gas bill is zero.

Blossomtoes · 08/08/2021 17:57

They are very much slipping out of fashion

They’re not. People are installing them in London flats! Use it for a year and then decide.

HavelockVetinari · 08/08/2021 18:01

Folks who love it - what do you do in summer? I hated that it took more than 20 minutes to boil water, as well as the awful heat it pumped out into an already-overhot kitchen.

I suspect the majority of folk loving theirs also have a separate stove, toaster, kettle and even oven.

It's a huge luxury, and a huge PITA unless you have separate extra facilities. We weren't poor when we first got ours but the extra gas was eye-watering.

HavelockVetinari · 08/08/2021 18:03

@Blossomtoes

They are very much slipping out of fashion

They’re not. People are installing them in London flats! Use it for a year and then decide.

Flats?! The mind boggles! Confused

The heat! In London! I've lived in a first floor flat in London, an Aga would've been (a) a nightmare to get up the stairs; and (b) hotter than Hades in summer.

MauveMagnolia · 08/08/2021 18:03

I grew up in a house where the aga was 50 years old and going strong. Mine is 16 years old. They sell for about £5k second hand here (in a good colour- not red)

They are about £16,000 new for a 4 door with a ceramic module.

Ritasueandbobtoo9 · 08/08/2021 18:03

I had one for a year, put on a stone from the lovely toast but spent £3000 on oil for it. Can’t justify cost on money or environmental grounds.

MauveMagnolia · 08/08/2021 18:04

@HavelockVetinari

Folks who love it - what do you do in summer? I hated that it took more than 20 minutes to boil water, as well as the awful heat it pumped out into an already-overhot kitchen.

I suspect the majority of folk loving theirs also have a separate stove, toaster, kettle and even oven.

It's a huge luxury, and a huge PITA unless you have separate extra facilities. We weren't poor when we first got ours but the extra gas was eye-watering.

It takes about 2 mins to boil full kettle? Are you sure that you had an AGA, it is always at the right temp and so you lift the lid and stick the kettle on- we have a ceramic plate and so the kettle is always warm.
MauveMagnolia · 08/08/2021 18:06

@SalaciousCrumble

We have a gas one and I hate it. Temperamental, you have to turn the whole thing on and wait to use the hotplate (or have it on all the time which is insanely expensive and wasteful) everything is burned or raw (or both). I want to get rid of it but it's so expensive to replace as we'd need a new boiler, re-plumbing and a new oven. The environmental cost makes me shudder too. It's on my hit list and I can't wait to get rid of it. By all means try for a few months in case you love it but don't feel guilty if you still hate it and want to get rid!
That doesnt sound like a gas Aga. It is on 24/7 and always at the right temp, no turning on and no waiting.
DelphiniumTea · 08/08/2021 18:09

I've had one from new for 25 years and I absolutely wouldn't want to do without it. We have no central heating, don't need it because the warmth permeates the house even upstairs as the warmth travels up the chimney. I absolutely love it. I do have a small electric oven as I turn it off for the warmest 3 months of the year. Like PPS I'd suggest keeping it for a year and then deciding.

DelphiniumTea · 08/08/2021 18:16

I had one for a year, put on a stone from the lovely toast but spent £3000 on oil for it

That sounds shocking. Ours is oil and we average £600 a year. We also save on heating because it warms the whole house.