Don't convert your Aga range cooker, here is why!
Sometimes it is clearer to look at the 'why not' than the 'why'. You'll hear and read a lot of these, lets see if any hold water!
Electricity is more expensive than gas and oil, it will cost more to run!
It’s true, electricity is around 3 times more expensive than gas and oil per kWh (there is approx 10 kWh equivalent in 1 litre of oil). And yet multi element electric cookers are cheaper to run than fossil cooker or single element (13amp) electric cookers. How? It’s all about efficiency. Most of the heat produced by fossil cookers goes straight up the flue with all the carbon and harmful gases like carbon monoxide. As little as 5% of the fuel energy goes into your food! By contrast electric cookers are 100% efficient at turning electricity into heat. ALL of that heat stays in your house. You pay three times more for electric but use only one fifth or so of the kWh. You can do even better too if you move away from more traditional (leaving on more) usage.
It’s a lot of money to spend up front!
Converted cookers cost less to run, the ‘payback’ time on a converted cooker can be as little as 15months on 4 oven 13amp single element electric cookers. It’s a lot to spend certainly but it provides certainty. No servicing and a optional 5 year parts and labour warranty. Find our price list here.
It won’t feel like an Aga anymore!
We are traditionalists and have a deep respect for Aga range cookers. The conversion respects the aesthetics of your cooker. There is no outward sign of the conversion (the controls are hidden) and it is still a warm cooker in your kitchen. All Aga range cookers were originally solid fuel. Heating them with electricity no more makes an Aga range cooker inauthentic than heating one with oil or gas does! Converted cookers blend iconic charm with modern efficiency. AGA themselves have a great quote on this. "Since its invention, the Aga has evolved to use the very best fuel available at the time”. The very best fuel now? Electricity.
Fossil cookers are not supposed to be electric. It’ll be unreliable!
Our conversion systems are designed fit each different model of Aga range cooker made since 1941. They are beautifully designed and robust systems. We’ve converted more cookers than anyone else and offer an optional 5 years parts and labour warranty. We have a dedicated warranty engineer and with 13 vans zooming around there is always someone nearby. We take aftercare, reliability and repairs as seriously as every other part of our business.
Agas are supposed to be on all the time!
Your converted Aga range cooker can be on as much, or as little, as you want. Your needs will vary through the year. In winter leave the ovens on 24/7, maybe even a hotplate if you like! In the summer though you have options. Use just a hotplate for 20mins to heat some soup on a hot summer day!
Electricity mostly comes from gas or coal power plants so why bother converting!
40% of our electricity in the UK comes from renewable or low carbon sources - this percentage is growing every year. Converted cookers get more sustainable every year without you doing anything! A two oven cooker, converted from oil to electric, will save 7 tons of carbon emissions per year. That is 90% of its emissions! In terms of local air quality electric cookers are also a huge advance, no particulate matter is released. Domestic heating oil is basically diesel, its sooty and horrible.
I don’t want to keep turning it up or down!
We don’t recommend this either. The hotplates are so quick that turning them on/off does make sense but for most users leaving the ovens on an at their normal heat, at least during the day, makes sense. Instant lunch!
The Aga, and kitchen, will be cold (especially in the mornings!)
You can leave the ovens on 24/7 if you like but even if, like most users, you turn off overnight your kitchen will still be warm in the morning. The cooker cools down slowly overnight! It will even still dry a load of washing on our drying racks as it cools. The beauty of an electric Aga range cooker is its adaptability. In warmer months, you can reduce or turn off the heat output, and in colder months, you can maintain a cozy warmth. This flexibility means you get the best of both worlds – ambient warmth when you want it and energy savings when you don't.
It won’t cook the same way!
Fossil Aga range cookers heat your food with radiant heat from the huge oven castings. Converted cookers do exactly the same! Because the heating elements are placed above and below the ovens you get a more even heat too!
It won’t heat hot water anymore!
Thank goodness! Heating hot water with an Aga range cookers is the most expensive way imaginable. It increases your fuel consumption by 50% even if you don't use much (or any!) of the hot water produced! Investing in a combi boiler or using a simple immersion heater and well lagged tank will save you enormous sums!
It won’t vent properly!
Converted cookers mostly room vent, it is more efficient because all the heat created stays in the house. We can often vent externally though if you prefer!
Converted Agas don’t get as hot as fossil cookers!
A converted Aga cookers gets as hot as you want it to - hotter than any fossil cooker will go if you like!
I wont be able to cook instantly whenever I like!
You can if you want to, leave the ovens on at operating temperature if you like. I do! You can do this 24/7 or maybe just during the day. Your choice can vary throughout the year as the weather, and temperatures, change.
It’ll be useless in a power cut!
It won’t be heating up but it will still be hot! Converted cookers cool down very slowly and regain their temperature very quickly. A cooker off for an hour in a power cut will regain its operating temperature in 5-10 minutes! You can run an electric Aga from a generator if you want to and will also have power for lights and devices too then of course! Power cuts are much less common now too!
It won't be as good as a new cooker
Our conversion systems are designed specifically for Aga range cookers. They work on the same principles as new AGA’s and allow the same control and precision. Made by established UK manufacturers we can warranty our conversions for 5 years - parts AND labour.
Domestic properties only have so much power, a converted Aga may overload my supply.
Converted Aga range cookers use a standard 32amp or 40amp cooker supply. We’ve never come across a home where the supply was compromised by converted the cooker!
Converting your Aga range cooker to electricity is a step forward. Combine classic design with modern efficiency and sustainability. Our expertise and joyful professionalism make the process seamless. The benefits are many, from cost savings to environmental considerations.
