Aga - are they really terribly bad

[ohappydays]

I would really love a aga/range when I get my new kitchen but I read the article in today's Guardian. Are there any redemming features or particular ones that would salve my guilty conscience

Bumping for you.

Thank you

Have you got a link to the article?

it is a huge antiquated way of heating a home and cooking. it guzzles energy almost continually. there is no need for one. get a rangemaster cooker, gives the range look.

I have never done links before but i think this is it www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/13/heathrow-campaigners-environmentalism-brendan-oneill. Its from todays Guardian.

what he doesnt say is yes theyre running for three months but in that time they are also often heating the house and the hotwater supply and that aheat storage aga if used efficiently isnt bad at all

What about a woodburning Rayburn, I can't see how that is bad - ours does all our hotwater & heating plus in the winter most of our cooking, basically it means the only gas we use is for cooking in the summer plus early morning cups of tea.
It is also fabulous (though not in looks - dates from 70s!) and cosy for leaning on, can make toast & crumpets on the hotplate, cook in oven without feeling guilty as is on any way, et al.

This is pretty cool, they are selling rayburns all linked up with solar hot water collectors

I'm sorry but I think he's wrong on Aga's.

Ours runs on gas and as we virtually live in the kitchen, it means we hardly have our heating on (even in the recent sub-zero temperatures we had it on only for a couple of hours a day). We use it to dry almost all our clothes on (thus again reducing the need for heating as well as no need for a tumble drier) and of course we cook on it (so no time wasted heating up an oven).

Our house is 300 years old and 4,000 square feet so if it wasn't for the Aga, our heating bill would be enormous.

I agree, wood burning is the only way to go. It's a carbon neutral way to heat your home and water, and to cook.

I want one.

I am curious that he highlights coal fired Aga's - I have never heard of anyone with one of those.

me too
and the kitchen to fit it in

I think some old agas are coal fired - as I understand it since aga took over rayburn they have only made gas & oil fired agas, and then rayburns are available as solid fuel either coal and/or wood. In fact, I think they also now own Stanley who also make rather fine and amazingly antique looking wood burning ranges.

They look really good and remind me of the stanley range my Granny had in Ireland. I think thats one of the reasons I want a range - comforting memories. I can nearly smell the turf

I'm one of the middle class, Aga-owning environmentalists George Monbiot despises.

In defence of my Aga - it is switched off for 4 months a year.

It was built in 1930 (it's been converted to run on oil). How many conventional ovens - each emitting lots of carbon during their manufacture and transportation - would a household get through during the same time frame? One every 20 years would be a conservative estimate.

I work from home, so I am benefiting from the heat it generates all the time.

We very rarely need to have the heating on in the rest of the house -- only when the weather is very cold and even then only for a couple of hours when the kids are getting up and going to bed.

The Aga is used to dry laundry, for ironing, instead of a kettle and toaster as well as for cooking. I have adapted my cooking style to suit it -- we eat a lot of slow-cooked casseroles etc.

But I do still feel guilty about it.

I really don't thiink you should Sophy. Like most "Green" issues, having an Aga can't be considered in isolation. You need to take into consideration how it's used.

Chocolatedot you are truly the voice of reason.

Like you we also have a large and very old house to heat, with thick stone walls and old flagstone floors throughout downstairs.

In this context I do think the Aga is actually quite efficient. The stone in the house retains the heat it gives off and keeps it very cosy.

agree chocolatdot - our house is 1950's, but stone and about 3000 sq ft. Have an electric one which runs on Economy 7 type tariff when available. Winters here go down to -12 on average but don't have a tumble drier, electric kettle etc.

We do turn it off in summer when it gets in the high 30's but miss it loads when we do.

You can always get an AIMS system to have 2 on periods a day - it's just the cost - ?1500 as opposed to £600 in the UK.