New to the world of Agas. Can anyone enlighten me as to how they work?

[mummyjaguar]

We are in the process of buying a house which needs a kitchen. The existing is free standing with a cheap electric cooker which the vendor is taking. The house is old (1850) and needs something in keeping with its general style. I have seen these combination Agas in houses we have viewed weher as well as the normal aga bit there are also electric rings so that you don't have to have the aga on all year round. But does the aga run the central heating - because the house has central heating (albeit old oil fired which might need replacing once we get the survey back.)

I'm confused and new to the world of agas. can anyone explain?

property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/interiors/article3721176.ece

This is an article about the move away from Agas (very expensive to run). Has alternative suggestions.

Think I saw another article about agas in the Times - maybe a google search?

I do love them, but not enough space in our kitchen. My brother in law has a rayburn, and I think they do a brand that wont need to be on all the time. Or I may be mistaken!

You can get Agas that run the CH. We have a gas fired aga that we use only for cooking. I love it as food tastes really good. However it gets very hot in summer as we can't turn it off as it is our only method of cooking. That's why some people have electric/ gas rings as well.

It's not very ecologically friendly as it is always on.

Saying this I love it and would try to get one put in if we ever moved to a new house.

We have one and when alight does our hot water, my sisters doesn't and just cooks things and keeping kitchen warm, we have a boiler for heating/extra hot water, we turned ours off at end of March and won't be going back on until end of OCtober at earliest.

So if you turn it off do you have to have a normal cooker too?

Yes

My parents AGA cooks and heats the water. CH is seperate - mind you unless it's very cold the heat from the AGA itself plus maybe the woodburner going in the sitting room heats the house well enough. It's very very expensive to run though as it's oil-fired. Also it's old and gets cold if too many people have baths or they try to cook a big meal so they have a couple of electric rings as well.

Lovely idea but IME not terribly efficient.

Most people with ranges find they need electric oven/hob back-up for when you turn the range off in the summer (if you can bear to turn it off at all - lots keep it running throughout the year). As a general guide, Agas are used primarily as cookers, with the add-on benefit of heating for kitchen plus any other room/s that are included in the Aga's pipework circuit ifswim (I am not a plumber or heating engineer!). Our Aga (a 4 oven) heats the kitchen nicely plus the bedroom directly above, next to the airing cupboard - and also gives us MASSES of hot water. We have never needed to use our gfch for extra hot water.

If running your heating is a more important use of your range, I think Rayburns and similar are more suitable, and they have the add-on benefit of being useful for cooking too, but not in the same capacity as the Aga.

People either love 'em or hate 'em. I adore mine!

Would also add oil v v expensive - and unlikely to become less so in future. Gas-fired or solid fuel best.

I love my AGA and miss it as we have just turned it off for the summer. It is oil fired and yes, oil is hideously expensive at the moment but we are not on mains gas here.

Our AGA heats the hot water and a couple of radiators upstairs. We have a wood burning stove that heats rest of house.

In summer we have electric oven and a gas hob (run off gas cylinders).

Our is reconditioned 1950's one. So don't know how it compares with a new one.

Would also add - again - our house is 1820 and we installed our Aga when we moved in. Just what the house needed - the heart of the home and looks like it's been there forever (even though a new model), so I expect your house would 'feel' the same .

Yes, I am passionate about my Aga!!

In our old house we had a Stanley Rayburn which did cooking, heating and water but we also had an electric oven for summer. That worked on a timer.

MehgaLegs, how do you heat your water in the summer then? I'm sure my mother would love to turn her Aga off in the summer to save bills but she needs hot water.

We put the immersion heater on for baths and showers.

can I just suggest an everhot?

www.everhot.co.uk they cook just like an aga/rayburn but cost peanuts to run. plus you can turn off the various bits of if if you dont need it AND it has a grill.
Perfect. That said I have a cookmaster rayburn which I simply turn on and off as I need it and its perfect