so, anyone recommend the all new 'efficient' Aga's or should I stick with a range cooker?

[dolceebanana]

Am currently in the throes of renovating a derelict old hovel (much loved though!). We have had an Aga in the past - which I think is great for old houses. This house will have a large 2 storey extension, including a kitchen/dining/family room. What are your thoughts on whether we should install a big new Aga or a range (thinking Mercury). We will need a new boiler too btw. Anyone's sensible advice very welcome!

If you need a new boiler too how about looking at Rayburns which will do both - if you want that sort of thing? They are not economical though, so you will have to decide which is more important - nice warm thing gurgling away in your kitchen for you to lean against and large bills, or normal range cooker and an efficient boiler?

We have a Rayburn, and given the choice would always - we only use it for hot water in the summer, and in the winter it's on all day (from Nov) and heats the ground floor along with the wood stove in the sitting room. Heating for upstairs then comes on at about 6pm and the whole lot goes off at 10pm. It goes off in April - no matter what the weather is. Cooking wise, as soon as it's on the electric cooker is redundant - and it dries endless games kit and shoes in the bottom oven!

we've got a new aga which cools down overnight and warms up. we bought a 2 door with a module so aga goes off from april-october but we still have a cooker and hob over summer which is fab. we love ours and wouldnt be without. we have monitored gas bills and they didnt leap up as we used less heating - but our house is a freezer so heating was on a lot.

you really cant beat an aga/rayburn on all sorts of counts but it is a lifestyle choice.

Thanks frosty...yes, hadn't thought about Rayburns. We'd be looking to heat a 5 bed house. Part new/part old stone. So probably not terribly economical.

Can anyone who has a new Aga comment on fuel efficiency? I thought the controllable versions now were supposed to be much better.

Our other option is as I say to have a large range (quite like the Mercury range, v solid), and a boiler....

I have an oil guzzling rayburn and would rather give up lots of other things before getting rid of it.

herhonesty...thanks. So do you just use the module during the summer months? I suppose you can switch on the Aga if you need extra cooking space etc? This house is hopefully a 'forever' place so do want to get it right. They are also timeless, and should last a lifetime I suppose (talking myself into it!).

maud....!

the module has two ovens and 4 ring so i'd struggle to use this all up in the summer - but i suppose you could if you needed extra space, but it takes a while to warm up. yes, just use the module in the summer. our house is supposed to be a forever house but we are always on the look out for the next house so who knows. but people love agas and i have known women to come in and stroke mine, so i think we know we'll always recoup the investment in terms of houseprice/value.

Don't rule out a Rayburn doing your heating as well - we have a 480K which does a 4 bed house fine, a 499 and a 699 will do up to 20 radiators, have a look here (and don't look at the pretty colours....)

www.rayburn-web.co.uk/what-is-a-rayburn/rayburn-models/rayburn-heatranger/cooking,-domestic-hot-water--central-heating/oil/heatranger-499kkb.aspx.

If your extension bit is nicely insulated too then it will be toasty warm with an AGA or Rayburn....

Thanks guys! Loving the link!

Don't ask why but given a choice I would always take an AGA over a Rayburn. We have a Rayburn at the moment and have spent thousands (seriously!) getting it sorted. Perhaps the previous owners were a bit slack with the servicing but I don't think so. Every time an engineer comes to look at it they whinge about the fact it is a "bloody Rayburn" and not an AGA.

Been looking at Stanleys (which is what I have in Cornwall, the Irish AGA equivalent, but sooo much cheaper and bigger ovens!)) and they have a new condensing Stanley for oil and the Brandon for others. www.waterfordstanley.com/Products/Rangecookers/1146.htm

I've had my current Stanley for almost 16 years and miss it like mad (live abroad at present). I go and stroke it when I go and do the annual visit to the tenants. Mine does heating, hot water and cooking, and heats a big old 4 bed house very nicely thank you. We have no mains gas in the village in Cornwall and oil was so much cheaper than LPG back in the early 90s that we changed to oil. I may get a new one when we move home - I like the look of the Alpha they do, but the Brandon look the closest to my superstar. The oven shelves from the old Rayburn didn't even touch the sides of the Stanley oven.

We used to have a rayburn but got rid of it when we completely changed our kitchen. It did our heating and hot water and I don't miss it all, our new condenser boiler is much more efficient. However, I couldn't bear to loose a range cooker to heat my arse so I looked at all different types of "always on range cookers" (sorry don't know the generic name for them). ie Rayburn, Aga, Stanley, Esse, Everhot.

I did masses of research and we now have a lovely Everhot. It's brilliant. It runs on electricity, you literally just plug in to a normal 13 amp socket. It's way more efficient than a new aga, you can control each oven individually, it has a grill, it goes into "eco" mode every night. It isn't so hot to touch as an aga but that's because it's more insulated and therefore more efficient. But still lovely for ambient heat all day. It doesn't need servicing - ever, so that's already cheaper. Plus they are cheaper to buy than Agas. AND if you ever move, you can take them with you because they literally slot into place (don't need a plinthe or flume or anything). I used this argument to persuade DH.

Website here
I sound like I work for them but I don't - honest.

We also have a two ring gas burner for stir-fry etc and for the summer but this year we didn't turn the everhot off due to the pants weather. I know you can get an induction hob as one option on some of the everhots.

Anyway sorry for long rambling post, I can't do succinct.