To keep the Aga?

[UmbriaLover]

We are having the kitchen re-done.

DH wants to replace of the Aga with fantastically modern electric ovens/microwaves that cook food quickly, easily, and at low cost without the extreme hassle of an Aga.

DH says:

1. The Aga costs too much to run (oil... don't ask it came with the house)
2. It's quicker to boil an electric kettle
3. We don't live in the country (we live in Fulham) or have a springer spaniel.

This is my ABSOLUTE worse nightmare.

How can I convince DH to keep the Aga?

AIBU to keep the Aga?

Oh no I love our Aga! Ours is electric and DH is already talking about not turning it on next winter because our economy 7 rate triples next month

@kasho5

Oh no I love our Aga! Ours is electric and DH is already talking about not turning it on next winter because our economy 7 rate triples next month

Philistine!

The main points of my argument would be:
Saves using the tumble drier as it dries the washing
Saves electricity for boiling the kettle/making toast
Enables cheaper meals to be cooked because the oven is always on
In the event of a power cut it provides both heat to the room and cooking (I’m presuming it’s drip feed).
You can turn the heating lower or off in the rest of the house because the aga is always on
You can buy the oil over summer therefore you pay for it before you use it.

Oil costs will go down again, you can turn it off in the summer to save a bit and it does heat the kitchen. You’d need to run a radiator or something without one. Electric ovens are expensive to run and dry things out.

@tothemoonandbackbuses

The main points of my argument would be: Saves using the tumble drier as it dries the washing Saves electricity for boiling the kettle/making toast Enables cheaper meals to be cooked because the oven is always on In the event of a power cut it provides both heat to the room and cooking (I’m presuming it’s drip feed). You can turn the heating lower or off in the rest of the house because the aga is always on You can buy the oil over summer therefore you pay for it before you use it.

Thank you for your message.

DH says that it cost about £2,500 to keep the Aga running last year, and that it is 'hard to imagine the number of cups of English Breakfast for the tradesmen of Fulham' that could be made for that amount of money.

We send all our laundry out.

I'd ditch the aga. Massive inefficient and pretentious thing and the ovens aren't even hot enough for Yorkshire puddings.

Modern induction hob and modern oven is vastly better.

It’s going to cost a lot more to run this year. Sigh.

We have an old oil Aga which came with the house and we love it.
We do live in the country and have dogs.
As PP says there’s no need for tumble dryer, toaster, electric kettle, slow cooker, underfloor heating.
It also makes food taste so much better. Even something as simple as a jacket potato tastes more delicious.
There’s a special kind of warmth and comfort that an old Aga emits.
Wouldn’t be without mine now.
In terms of environmental impact, I’m not sure that swapping it for a whole load of modern electrical items which will have a shorter life span than an Aga, is any better.

Get an Everhot instead - cheaper to run but has the feel of an Aga. Best of both. www.everhot.co.uk/

@ScarletTulips

We have an old oil Aga which came with the house and we love it. We do live in the country and have dogs. As PP says there’s no need for tumble dryer, toaster, electric kettle, slow cooker, underfloor heating. It also makes food taste so much better. Even something as simple as a jacket potato tastes more delicious. There’s a special kind of warmth and comfort that an old Aga emits. Wouldn’t be without mine now. In terms of environmental impact, I’m not sure that swapping it for a whole load of modern electrical items which will have a shorter life span than an Aga, is any better.

You are so right re. the jacket potatoes! Actually I always thought it was the CCC made in the 'mik-ro-wah-vey' as NL likes to say! (Chilli con carne).

Do you know if it is possible to have something similar to an Aga upstairs as well? For the special kind of warmth? What breed of dog do you have though? Does it even depend on breed?

You seem like an expert on the environmental impact of electrical items, so I will present your post as evidence to DH. Thank you.

[quote Plantstrees]Get an Everhot instead - cheaper to run but has the feel of an Aga. Best of both. www.everhot.co.uk/[/quote]
Wow! Thank you. Even Sarah Beeny has one!

Could you replace with a solid fuel aga or similar?

I have an aga and I’m so over it! Eye wateringly expensive to run, contrary to popular aga opinion they don’t cook that well, everything is over cooked on one side unless you keep turning it.

The only pros are: keeps my bum warm in winter, is pretty and makes the best toasty sandwiches. Although I could buy an amazing heated blanket, a pretty picture of an aga and a super toasted sandwich maker and probably have some change for what it costs me to run the aga each month.

When we redo our kitchen she will be gone! (Never thought I’d say that!)

We have had two agas in different houses and we now have an everhot.

I much preferred the aga, but the gas running costs were astronomical.

I have warmed up a bit to the everhot, but I HATE the induction hob bit and don't use it. It makes an annoying clicking noise and only one of the rings is in a useful place.

So I would say, sell the aga, get an everhot but get one with a hob both sides, then you get essentially the same thing but for a much lower running cost.

@parietal

I'd ditch the aga. Massive inefficient and pretentious thing and the ovens aren't even hot enough for Yorkshire puddings.

Modern induction hob and modern oven is vastly better.

Ummm….the roasting oven of an aga runs at 230C. Yorkshire puddings cook at 220/230C in a non-fan oven. I’m sensing a lack of knowledge/experience, or maybe some bias

The only thing I miss about our old house is the aga, and I’ll be getting one installed as soon as I can. You can get them with one of the hobs being an induction one, which is what I’ll go for

Environment-wise, the carbon footprint is bad - it used about 2,500kWh of gas a month. But, in the last house it had also been there since 1961, which will have saved the planet from at least 10 electric ovens/hobs/tumble driers and kettles, and it was still almost entirely recyclable because it was cast iron!

@Tryingtokeepgoing Wow! You lose a lot of gas. Do you supply the grid also? I am sensing from your post that you might be based in Yorkshire given your love for the flour-based mounds of buccal pleasure?

How does one hang one's knickers and bras on the Aga? I have never actually worked this one out. Of course, when you visit the home of another Aga owner, they always take their bras off!!!!

Bras go over the rail at the cooler end, knickers and socks all over the top and lids

We have a very old aga. We do live in rural mid Cornwall and the Aga does heat the central column of the house in winter. I do love it.

HOWEVER
There is no justification for their environmental footprint - they burn through SO MUCH oil. At this winter's prices I estimated at least £70/wk to run. So at current prices, £140/wk.

Personally I think they look pretentious and try-hard in city homes - sorry OP.

We also have a second, modern electric Aga (all inherited with the house, don't ask). I think it's called an Aga module. Aga looks but cooks like a modern electric cooker (the ovens keep moisture in the food like traditional aga ovens). They cost about £3800 new and while I could never personally justify the expense, they are a good compromise if you really really want aga styling without the environmental crimescene.

We are phasing out our big oil aga - running it for a couple of months over December/January instead of 6 months of the year alongside the central heating.

No, sadly I don’t live in Yorkshire! Maybe I’ll retire there - only 50 though so a few more years to go . I do enjoy cooking though, and always found the Aga so versatile. But I decided to move last year, 18 months after my husband died, and while I’m delighted with my new home I do miss the Aga. Drying things was easy - either on the rail at the front, the little flat bits behind the hot plates or, with care, on the hot plate lids themselves. With the added advantage there that careful folding meant no ironing of pillow cases [laugh].

I took ours out and replaced it with a duel fuel range which is far superior in every way. The multi-function oven gets up to 220 in around 7 mins and is much better during summer. I've thought about installing an ESSE Ironheart too for winter use but it would require a significant shuffle around in the kitchen so I've held off. I did like the aga in the colder months but I'm happy to forgo it for the increased benefits of a superior oven and much lower energy costs.

Aga module: www.agaliving.com/products/catalog/cast-iron-heat-storage-cooker/aga-module?v=7399

Hate ours and will replace when funds allow. I'm team husband sorry!

You need an Everhot and then an Everhot stove for upstairs. Exactly what you are describing.

Having an Aga or EH means you never need to iron, tumble dry, pre heat the oven, you don’t need a toaster, an electric kettle or any kind of sandwich toaster/waffle machine. My heating doesn’t come on until at the last week of October, and is off by now in early March.

Aga owner always take their bras off when you visit?! Oh my

I think what I'm having difficulty with understanding is why should I take my DH's position in that we should buy electric ovens that are efficient, quick to heat up, cheap to run, easier to clean, and without the extreme hassle of an Aga over the huge expensive, irritation, and ability to dry knickers that an Aga provides. I don't get it? Aga all the way.