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Original poster

Aga cookers. Have they lost their appeal since the cost of fuel went through the roof?

69 replies

jasper · 13/09/2008 00:44

I LOVEED my aga in my last house.
I bought it about 7 years ago following mumsnet recommendations.

However everything has its price and the cost of fuel now makes it seem slightly obscene.

Thoughts?

OP posts:
Original poster
jasper · 13/09/2008 00:45

Should clarify I have since moved house and am considering an aga purchase in new house but the running costs ( which I can't work out) are puting me off.

OP posts:
Aitch · 13/09/2008 00:46

according to a thing i heard on radio four the cost is running to thousands to keep one on the go now...

Original poster
jasper · 13/09/2008 00:58

Aitch I was wondering that .

When I gotmy 4 oven model 7 years ago it was £11 a week or thereabouts which was just about acceptable ( " so much more than just a cooker...blah blahh etc)

looking to buy second hand 2 oven model but fuel is SO expensive. Not sure I can justify the expense to myself

OP posts:
Chocolateteapot · 13/09/2008 02:51

Was talking about this with a friend who has one recently. Theirs is an oil one, as is the heating but they hardly use that because of the boiler. They are currently spending 2.4k a year on oil at the moment if that helps.

Spidermama · 13/09/2008 06:43

I'm getting a wood burning rayburn to do rads and hot water. Supposedly carbon neutral. Aga try to claim their product is green but I don't quite understand how they work that out.

I guess a wood burning aga would be better.

SquiffyHock · 13/09/2008 07:07

We have got an electric Aga which I love but I'm going to wait for a while longer before I turn in on for winter. Last winter our electricity bill was about £800 - the last one was £1200 and that wasn't during a period when the AGA was on.

Millarkie · 13/09/2008 07:23

We have a 2 oven night storage electric version - which for various reasons has been switched off for 3-4 weeks of each quarter this year. Our electric bills have been on average £80 per month. We have stopped using the hot plates on ours, just oven and warmth...we have a LPG hob. When we were using the hot plates our bill was double (but I was breaking the golden rule about doing most of the stuff in the ovens and was boiling stuff on the hotplates for 20 mins of so).
We have oil heating which we haven't needed to switch on yet as there is always a cosy place at the kitchen table if you get chilly.

CantSleepWontSleep · 13/09/2008 07:27

We have an oil fired range which does water/heating/cooking, so same principle as Aga. A tank of oil has about trebled in price since we moved here (2001). We fill the tank about 3 times a year and it now costs around £1k each time iirc.
I wouldn't put one in by choice at the moment.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 13/09/2008 07:29

We turned ours off at the end of MArch and it has made a huge difference, we have used 500 litres of oil in 3 months, that is with the water on and the odd bit of heating, we were getting through 1000 litres every 6 weeks with it on, and that is with hardly any heating. We will keep it off until we get back from holiday in December and keep it on until end February maybe mid March next year. We inherited it as well and have thought of selling it and replacing with a wood burning stove, big kitchen, as we have another range cooker which we use.

Spidermama · 13/09/2008 07:40

I've noticed lots of oil fired agas and rayburns on ebay selling for £500 and under.

mrspink27 · 13/09/2008 08:37

It cost £14 a week to run a gas aga, ( so I was told at my last aga demo ) which is 427 ish units of gas... if you take into account all the things that you dont use because you have an aga e.g microwave, coffee machine, kettle, toaster, iron, tumble dryer, kitchen radiator etc which use on average 380 a week... it doesnt seem quite so bad. Aga are calling this "Aga - nomics"!

Swedes · 13/09/2008 15:12

Agas don't do central heating but some of them do heat the hot water.

My 4 oven mains gas Aga is expensive to run but:
It heats the room (no radiator)
It does a huge amount of cooking (we are a family of six)
It does a huge amount of clothes drying (I rarely use my v expensive tumble drier)
It does ironing (fold t-shirts flat and place on chrome lids, turn, perfect)
It makes brilliant toast
It makes brilliant slow-dried tomatoes/aubergines/courgettes/onions/peppers etc in the warming oven
It makes brilliant porridge in the warming oven overnight - lovely soft porridge waiting for you when you come down

It is expensive but it works very hard.

When we first moved into this house I asked my olders sons if they would rather have an Aga or a sailing holiday and they both said an Aga.

Original poster
jasper · 14/09/2008 09:03

I have checked the current gas tarif and worked out it would cost me £17 a week to runa gas aga.

I don't need any convincing aout how great they are ( I had one in my last house) . I just need to consider whether they are £17 a week great!

Any further thoughts , anyone?

OP posts:
CantSleepWontSleep · 14/09/2008 09:07

Oh gosh - if you can run it as cheap as that then yes, go for it, and thank your lucky stars that you have gas where you are!

Original poster
jasper · 14/09/2008 09:12

cantsleep I love the idea that that is a bargain!

OP posts:
Original poster
jasper · 14/09/2008 09:13

cantsleep the one in the old house was a 4 oven oil one and I dread to think what it costs now.

OP posts:
Millarkie · 14/09/2008 13:00

Swedes - how do you do the porridge? (minor hijack - sorry)

Jasper - £17 a week doesn't sound obscene - s'only £884 a year, not even a thousand go on get one

Swedes · 14/09/2008 20:32

£17 a week sounds v reasonable. We are on mains gas and have a four oven. Will ask DP how much it costs to run..... I don't concern myself with such things.

There is also some evidence that houses with Agas sell on more quickly and at a premium.

Original poster
jasper · 14/09/2008 21:22

bodice

OP posts:
ChacunaSonGout · 14/09/2008 21:25

i am thnking the aga will be economical for us

heat only the downstairs ( well only the kitchen/living room) in the day and save that way

Swedes · 15/09/2008 10:15

Except on very very cold days I rarely have the heating on throughout the day as we have such a lovely warm kitchen thanks to the Aga.

rubyloopy · 15/09/2008 11:32

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rubyloopy · 15/09/2008 11:35

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ChacunaSonGout · 15/09/2008 14:20

thankyou all- sitting here frozen but canot put heat on for just me ( two babies in bed) so roll on the aga

OrmIrian · 15/09/2008 14:22

My parents have one. Also an oil-fired CH system And yes, financally it's crippling them. No gas supply there.

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