Battle to save the Aga from net zero

Flora Bowen looks at the appeal of the much-loved older, traditional cookers that still run on solid and liquid fuel

For decades they have been at the heart of the English country home: a warm stove, cooking a Sunday roast or crumble, warmth chasing damp from kitchen corners.

But in recent months, the Aga has fallen out of favour – decried for its increasingly high energy costs and emissions. The criticism comes as British households are being pushed to adopt eco-friendly heating systems in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions to net zero.

The solid and liquid fuel that is still used to power traditional Aga ovens can be both expensive and polluting, according to James Dyson, a senior researcher at the European climate change think tank E3G.

“Heating a home using an Aga produces almost five times as much carbon dioxide as using a heat pump and produces indoor and outdoor air pollutants which are harmful to human health”, he tells Telegraph Money.

Every new Aga launched over the past decade has been electric, with the majority now designed to be turned on and off. Newer models also include induction hobs and fan ovens, which contribute to lower running costs and greater efficiency.

Kathryn Lowe, a spokesman for Aga, says sustainability and energy efficiency are “hugely important” to the company, adding: “Since its invention, the Aga has evolved to use the very best fuel available at the time.”

Yet last year sales of new Agas fell, with a £ 10m drop in turnover to £144m, and pre-tax profits dropping from £26m to £20m.

Rising costs of wages, logistics, energy, raw materials and component costs were cited as reasons for the dip in the company’s fortunes.

However, amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, the Aga’s hefty price tag puts new models out of reach for many households – with a brand new cooker costing about £ 15,000, and second hand ones selling for roughly £5,000.

However, for Aga devotees, the always- on traditional oven remains irreplaceable.

Sarah James, from East Sussex, says the Aga is now the “heart of the home” despite her traditional oil-fuelled Aga costing £1,400 per year to run.

“When I first saw it in the house – at the age of 29 with a six- month- old baby, coming from London – I just looked at this beast of an oven.

“I was mortified by the prospect of using it for cooking. I didn’t know where to start”, she said.

After enrolling on an Aga course, Ms James, 45, felt “inspired” by the variety of roles the oven has in their family home. “The key is not to see it as just an appliance for cooking but for everything. Once you have the knack of how to use it, it’s so useful.” As well as cooking for her three children, the oven is used for drying Wellington boots, their two dogs after walks, drying and ironing clothes and sheets, and even heating their water tank.

Michael and Karen Gilbert, from Dartmoor, have also found the multifunctionality of their Aga makes up for the increasing energy costs.

“You can dry your knickers on it and the dog”, says Ms Gilbert, 64. “It costs a bloody fortune but once you’re used to an Aga that’s the way you cook. There’s been no maintenance needed.” The energy bills cost £300 per month for their 200-year-old stone cottage.

In rural Wiltshire, Malcolm and Carol Burch’s 16th- century home is “technically off- grid” with no gas, making the Aga an essential source of heat. The “luxury” of an Aga costs the couple about £50 per month. But they add “There’s a lot of knock on savings people aren’t aware of. Its background warmth saves on heating, which we only turn on in mid-November.

Malcolm Field, from Staffordshire, describes his Aga as “the lump” – contributing to a monthly fuel bill of £650 which he can “barely afford”.

However its “stately presence” remains an essential part of his home, used for everything from heating hot water, drying clothes and herbs, and providing a warm spot for his two cats.

Most importantly, the oven is a reminder of his late wife, Ingrid.

He said: “My wife, rest her soul, was a chef used to providing large parties with a range of delicacies, there was someone who drove the lump with consummate skill. They were as one.

“To change this oven would require me to virtually rebuild the kitchen. I could not afford to change it for those eco appliances mooted but can barely afford to run it. I am in a Catch- 22 impasse, but the thing is so much of my wife and that image of her cooking up a storm that I could not consider things being [any] other [way].”