Should I convert my GAS Aga to ELECTRICITY?

Plenik

We have had a 4-oven gas Aga for 30+ years and we have always put up with the high running costs because it makes the kitchen cosy and we have got used to cooking on it.

A few years ago we changed our old (but a modern model) Aga for an even older one which had been fully reconditioned and converted from solid fuel to gas. However, while this performed probably better as a cooker that the original Aga, it turned out that it had not been fitted particularly well and it now requires a fairly major overhaul.

As we are facing quite a large bill, we are wondering whether it might be worth spending a little more money to have the Aga converted once more, this time to electricity.

Does anyone have any experience with this, and particularly about the savings that can be had by converting an Aga to electricity?

Many thanks.

firefox1956

No experience but unless you a millionaire or own a power station I would not convert it to electricity.
HTH

bryanb

You shouldn't talk about Aga and savings in the same sentence! If you need to make savings on fuel, don't have an Aga.

lstar337

Electricity approx. 3x the cost of gas. I can't see any way you would save money with the conversion.

ChumpusRex

Converting your aga to electricity will roughly TRIPLE the running costs.

Typical running costs for a 3-oven electric aga are about £130 a month.

Robwiz

The only conversion I would do to an Aga would be to fit induction hobs under the lids and a fan oven inside the casing. The cost of keeping an Aga always on is huge and wasteful compared to more efficient and cheaper forms of heating.

lstar337

An AGA is just an ageing beast desperately clinging to relevancy.

They are simply too wasteful to be of use in modern times.

puc

i have a 2 oven electric aga that works using off-peak electricity. running cost approx £80-100 per month. it also functions as a storage heater for the kitchen.

Smiley_Dan

You have to accept that if you're going to run an Aga it's going to cost a lot of money.

Comparing the running costs isn't as simple as comparing £/kWh because the gas/oil Agas all have lower efficiency than the electrical ones. This page: http://www.aveccookers.co.uk/reconditioned-aga-information/ suggests the gas burner is in the same ballpark efficiency as the oil burner - 50-55%.

So while the electrical unit cost is higher, you use less potential energy.

thozza

Have you considered having it converted to AIMS, this would at least give some control. We had our 4 oven LPG AGA converted by AGA engineers, it wasn't cheap, however it has enabled to cut our usage of gas by 20-25% which being LPG meant the payback was not too bad, costs for kits are here:
http://www.johncooperandsons.co.uk/AimsKit.html

To convert to AIMS meant that the complete oven was stripped & rebuilt with a new burner unit and cast iron heat exchanger etc. which might also sort out the problem of your AGA needing to be rebuilt.

There is a table of comparative AGA fuel running costs here:
http://www.cookercentre.com/aga/aga-running-costs

Pincher

I should think it's easier to trade it in for an electric one.


There must be more people who want a gas one than electric ones.


Actually, I don't see why an electric one would ever need a service, unless a knob fell off, whereas a gas one probably needs an annual service.


My kitchen is actually arranged to take a condensing boiler version of Aga, up to 140cm wide, with a drain position for the condensate. I have the heating on 24/7 on anyway, so it wouldn't be an issue having the Aga on during winter, but it will probably be off half the year, and then I will need a gas water heater for hot water, which is a compromise.