Reduce your Running Costs


Everyone wants smaller bills. Making sure your Aga Range Cooker is properly insulated, running efficiently and used correctly, can vastly improve on its running costs. From a simple insulation upgrade, to a complete electric conversion, these options can all help reduce your costs in the long run.


INSULATION UPGRADE AND REPACK

Ceramic Blanket and Vermiculite Top Up.


When your Aga Range Cooker was first installed, it was probably insulated using a mix of vermiculite (the stuff that looks like popcorn), and rockwool (the rolls of loft insulation you see). The problem is that over time, vermiculite can drop as it settles into crevices and rockwool can deteriorate. When this happens, you can end up with big air pockets in the cooker that you're paying to heat, and it doesn't retain the heat for long. The solution for this is a repack.


We bring top up vermiculite and a roll of thick ceramic "furnace-grade", high-density ceramic blanket. We take the top off your Aga range cooker, remove the old rockwool and vermiculite, then get to work.


Our repack service and process is specific to us. Most "repack" services advertised online are just additional vermiculite and a top blanket - we go MUCH further than that.


The ceramic blanket we use is safe and body soluble. We've been very thorough in our research, making sure we don't use the popular (carcinogenic!) aluminium fibre version and have our own supplier for 100% bio-soluble, silicate fibre blanket. If you decide to enlist the help of another company for your repack, PLEASE make sure they know which blankets to use. Your health (and the engineers) is not worth the risk.


Due to our unique insulation process, this is only available in Scotland for our own trained engineers. A trip down south may be an option depending on area though!


SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE

Making your Aga Range Cooker Safe and Efficient.


Over the course of its lifetime, your Aga Range Cooker will need to be Serviced or have a Safety Check carried out. This is essential to prolonging the life of your cooker, as well as keeping you and your family safe.


If your burner isn't functioning correctly, it can affect the running costs of your Aga Range Cooker. The same goes for your flue, which should always be checked and tested when a service is carried out.


Follow the service schedule below to make sure your Aga Range Cooker is running effectively. Your chimney may need frequent sweeping in addition to the service.


Oil: Every 6 Months

Gas: Every 12 Months

13amp: Every 12 Months


Servicing costs can range between £100 and £140 depending on area.

UTILISE YOUR AMBIENT COOKER HEAT

Use your Aga Range Cooker to its fullest potential!


The Aga Range Cooker is much more than a cooker. As the saying goes, 'Its a way of life'.


You can utilise the 'always on' functionality of your Aga Range Cooker, or the ambient heat modes for a range of functions. We could write a whole post about all the things your cooker can do but a few key uses are:


  • Dry your washing overnight (instead of a tumble dryer)
  • Boil the kettle (instead of an electric kettle)
  • Make your toast (instead of using an electric toaster)
  • Slow cook dishes (instead of an electric slow cooker)
  • Proving Bread
  • Melting Fragrant Wax Melts
  • Drying flowers or petals
  • Keeping tea/coffee warm throughout the day
  • Taking the chill out of the room
  • Keeping the dog warm!


We recommend grabbing a copy of Richard Maggs 'Complete book of Aga Know-How' for lots of tips and tricks!

COOKING EFFICIENTLY

Minimise heat-loss to reduce your bills


The main point to make is that the when they're in use, the heat dissipates from the hot plates the fastest. If you have a traditional Aga Range Cooker, the longer you use the hot plates, the faster your oven temperature drops - a nightmare when you're cooking a big dish!


Use larger pans

By covering more surface area of your hot plates, you'll reduce heat loss and you'll also find food cooks more quickly!


Use machined-flat pans

The Aga Range Cooker uses conduction to cook, therefore if you have perfect contact from the base of your pan to the hot plate, you'll find a better cooking experience.


Utilise your ovens!

The ovens are traditionally always on and the heat is nicely contained behind your insulated oven doors. By using the bottom of the ovens as alternative hot plates, you'll be reducing your heat loss (by reducing the amount you lift the lids!). The floor of the roasting oven can often be used as an alternative boiling plate and the floor of the simmering oven, an alternative for the simmering plate. The 'golden rule' of Aga Range Cooking is, if it takes more than 10 minutes on the hot plates, it can go in the oven. 80% of cooking should be done in the ovens, and 20% on the hot plates. Of course, if you have a controllable model, this doesn't apply!

CONVERT YOUR COOKER

Make the switch and watch your savings grow!


This option is very popular with existing Aga Range Cooker Owners across the UK. In addition to the pressures to move away from fossil fuels, the energy crisis has sealed the deal for a lot of traditional models.


Both of our ElectricKit and eControl conversions offer independently controlled hot plates and ovens, giving you Total Control over your Aga Range Cooker. You still have the option to run your ovens up to temperature, 24/7, but the added flexibility to turn on when you need it and off when you don't, is where the real savings come in.


You will always have the option of turning your Aga Range Cooker off completely and utilising another source of cooking. If you decide to do this, you should lightly coat your hot plates and ovens in corn oil to prevent any rusting and consequent pitting of the cast iron!


If you feel like you have exhausted all options or are looking to put your cooker up for adoption to a loving home, get in touch with us.


If you're interested in any of the options above, our email inbox is always open!


Contact Us
Share by: