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What should we do with our Aga?

Well & Truly Off The Grid

Last Post by Majordennisbloodnok 1 month ago

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RobinBennett

(@robinbennett)

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Joined: 12 months ago

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Topic starter 10/12/2024 8:55 pm

We have a gas Aga that we usually run all winter. My wife likes cooking on it, and the waste heat keeps the kitchen warm, but we have a boiler for central heating and hot water, and a separate cooker for use in the summer when the Aga is cold. We plan to replace the boiler with a heat pump, but don't know what to do with the Aga, so I'd like some suggestions please.

I know there are commercial electrical conversions.

I can have a 13amp always-on conversion that makes it work much like it does at the moment, using lots of electricity. That seems pointless when a heat pump could use the same power to much greater effect. I could run it on a timer during the off-peak hours for about the same cost as running a heat pump during normal hours - but even a basic conversion seems to cost about £5000

Or I could have a more complex conversion that makes it work like an basic electric cooker. That's even more expensive, duplicates the cooker we already have, and we'd lose the warm spot in the kitchen.

Are there any options for an Aga now?

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Morgan

(@morgan)

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Posts: 677

11/12/2024 8:17 am

@RobinBennett

We also have an AGA. Oil fired that we inherited with the house and the wife loves it. We, like you, have an electric oven and hob which we use during the summer when the AGA is shut down. We don't have gas here in our rural location. Also like you, we researched the conversion to electric option and immediately discounted it as insanely expensive. There are companies out there that will remove and recycle to new owners but we chose to keep it and run it on the oil during the late autumn through to late spring. Thus if you're getting rid of your gas supply I would suggest that the only option open to you is to sell it on.

Here is one such company, there will be others, but I doubt they pay you a lot. Good luck.

https://webuyagacookers.com/

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Annahickson

(@annahickson)

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27/10/2025 9:03 am

I have a similar dilemma. We have an Aga that we used in winter to heat the kitchen and cook on, which also heated the hot water. We want to keep it just to cook on (and heat the kitchen) now we've had a heat pump fitted. I've been told we need to have the Aga modified to do that, and as its old (a solid fuel to oil conversion) and probably has asbestos inside it's going to be very expensive. I just wanted a second opinion as to what our options are.

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Mars

(@editor)

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27/10/2025 9:39 am

@annahickson, welcome to the forums. Do you have any heating emitters (rads or UFH) in the kitchen or is it just the Aga?

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JamesPa

(@jamespa)

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27/10/2025 9:51 am

Posted by: @annahickson

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I've been told we need to have the Aga modified to do that,

What sort of modification is 'needed'? Presumably if it previously heated the hot water there are some pipes and maybe a pump that take heat away to the water tank. Once the water tank was heated up they wouldn't have taken any heat away, so it follows that the Aga cant be dependent on this to keep it cool. Thus whats the harm in just disconnecting them?

This post was modified 1 month ago by JamesPa

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Morgan

(@morgan)

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27/10/2025 10:45 am

@annahickson We had a similar dilemma with our oil-fired Aga, as it had a tank inside wrapped around the main burner. It heated the water and two radiators. We had the guy who does the annual service remove the tank and pipework. We are still using the Aga now. I don't recall it being uber expensive. If you live anywhere near Derby and the surrounding areas, I can put you in touch with him.

Retrofitted 11.2kw Mitsubishi Ecodan to new radiators commissioned November 2021.
14 x 500w Monocrystalline solar panels.

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ESS Smile G3 5kw inverter.

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Lenny

(@lenny)

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28/10/2025 8:49 am

We have an oil fired Marshall (similar to Aga). It has (had) separate burners for heating/DHW and cooking.

Our ECO4 funded scheme insisted that there was no oil fired heating available so I removed the "water" side of it and it remains as an oil fired cooker, providing background heat of course but not according to ECO4 surveyor ..............

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Majordennisbloodnok

(@majordennisbloodnok)

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28/10/2025 9:34 am

One slightly off-the-wall suggestion is that, if you like the Aga-style cooking, the comfort factor of a cooker that heats the kitchen and you already have a conventional cooker for when the Aga's off you could replace the Aga with a wood burning cooker. At that point you could light the fire and do your range cooker thing on damp and miserable evenings and turn to your conventional cooker when the fire's just too much hassle.

Only a thought.

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