can an aga save you money...?

Deals_2

does it cut down on utilities as heard in the past coudl save some money .any tips appreciated. thanks

Magentasue

I wish. I'd love an Aga but couldn't afford to run one even if I could justify the expense of buying one. My brother has one that runs on oil and every year it's on for less of the year because of the cost.

There are some weekly running costs here:

http://www.aveccookers.co.uk/aga-cookers-running-costs.htm

There's also the electric option,which I think works out cheaper than oil if you have E7, but more expensive than gas.

dannymccann

Less than I was expecting according to that site - around 5 cubic units a week (or 16 metric ones) - plus it would save a little on heating that room / maybe the next one.

As I said, less than expected tbh

Debt_Free_Chick

I have a two oven oil fired AGA. This is my only source of cooking but it also heats my hot water. An AGA won't run radiators in a CH system though - you need a Rayburn for that.

My CH runs off an oil fired boiler.

It's difficult to be precise, but to run the AGA alone, takes about one tank of oil (900 L) and lasts between 4 and 5 months, which is a little more than 40 litres a week. I have no idea how that would compare with the costs of cooking and heating water on gas or electric though.

The CH boiler eats oil, OTOH - but that's more controllable as I could simply turn the heating off! :eek:

The biggest cost with an AGA is the capital outlay. Brand new you're looking at a min of £6k + installation + commissioning .... probably close to £10k :eek: Reconditioned might save you £2k.

But then, too many people have a "backup" for cooking only to find that they stick to what they know and then rarely use the AGA anyway So they pay for two cooking sources

I had no choice when I moved to this property - there was an AGA and that's it! But now ... well I wouldn't cook on anything else so my next property needs to have an AGA otherwise I'll need very deep pockets!! (Downsizing, so it might be affordable).

I rather think that an AGA might have been more economical when oil was comparatively cheaper than gas/electric - but those days have long gone. When I first bought oil here it was 22p a litre and cost only £200 to fill the tank. Last August, it cost £740!!!!!!!!! Although it's now dropped back to around £400.

Magentasue

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

It's difficult to be precise, but to run the AGA alone, takes about one tank of oil (900 L) and lasts between 4 and 5 months, which is a little more than 40 litres a week. I have no idea how that would compare with the costs of cooking and heating water on gas or electric though.
it's now dropped back to around £400.

To compare: in the summer we heated hot water for six, cooked on gas and used about 21kwh of gas a day which would be about £22 a month so between £88 and £110 for the four to five month period a tank of oil costs.

Debt_Free_Chick

It would cost me around ..... £100k to get gas into my property, given that the nearest mains pipe is at least five miles away :rotfl: :rotfl:

Magentasue

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

It would cost me around ..... £100k to get gas into my property, given that the nearest mains pipe is at least five miles away :rotfl: :rotfl:

Same for my brother. However, we have gas so an Aga would be pure indulgence for us. I would love one though.

Debt_Free_Chick

And that's a problem for some folk - like me - having had a "forced AGA" it would now be my first choice each and every time.

Still - it irons sheets beautifully

Cardew

I know 2 or 3 people who have an oil fired AGA and they find the running costs dreadful - and of course there is the servicing.

There are a couple of threads on AGAs and Rayburns on MSE if you do a search

Debt_Free_Chick

There's one issue with running costs that many fail to understand and that is AGAs are designed so that you do 80% of the cooking IN the ovens - not on the top. Too many folk use the the hotplates like a hob and that's the fastest way to release and waste the stored heat.

I cook everything in the oven, but it's a cooking style that most simply cannot get their heads around.

Servicing is twice a year for an oil-fired AGA - around £80 + VAT (call it £100) so yes, that's an issue too.

If you have a choice, then I think an AGA is more of a lifestyle choice - certainly, there are no obvious significant cost savings.