The time has flown by and as is now traditional I've finally found the time to collate the answers from our Aga range cooker owners survey earlier in the year. The world of Aga range cookers moves slowly, thats only natural when these cookers have long lives. In the last week alone I've chatted to a customer near Exeter still using a 1932 cooker! It actually won a Daily Telegraph competition as the oldest cooker still in use(£), that was in 2009. 13 years later and still going strong!
With that in mind I'm going to pick out the interesting trends and offer some comment on what might be going on. Aga range cookers are my life and I find this stuff fascinating so bear with me!
What models are in use?
This year, for the first time, we asked whether you had any of the most recent Aga models. From Total Control to ER and R models. Only 15% do which shows how slowly Aga range cookers are replaced. Total Control cookers were launched in 2011!
Re-enamelling and changing colour
The number of people who have re-enamelled their cooker and changed colour has risen slightly in the past year to 6.8%. We've re-enamelled a LOT of cookers in the past year so perhaps this increase is down to Blake & Bull! Well over 90% of cookers are still original though, plenty more to do!
What's creating the heat?
The fuel answers are fascinating of course given the ongoing fuel crisis. It's most interesting to compare the figures from 4 years ago, our very first survey! The percentage of cookers running on natural gas has fallen sharply from 37% to 32.9%. Oil has fallen a couple of percent too with both replaced by electricity that has risen to powering 30% of Aga range cookers. Solid fuel cookers are survivors, 2% of Aga range cookers still run on coal!
Looking in detail at electric cookers the percentage bought new from AGA Rangemaster as electric has fallen noticeable from 76% to 69% over the past 4 years. This means more are being converted than bought new. That certainly reflects our experience, we simply cannot convert them fast enough to either Electrikit or eControl, the two systems currently available. Nearly 40% of electric cookers are still running single element systems known as 13amp, these are the cookers being converted fastest as they have become very expensive to run these days!
Ugh the bills
Unsurprisingly nearly 80% of respondents thought the fuel bill was their least favourite aspect of Aga range cooker ownership. Up from just over 60% 4 years ago!
A way to save some money (turn off your tumble dryer)
88% of you dry washing or other items on your cooker, only 49% of you own one of our drying racks. Sacrilege! Our racks make drying safer and more efficient!
Summer turns to winter
Finally an interesting shift in winter/summer usage. Only 44% of owners turned their Aga range cooker off during the summer in 2019. 51% do so now. Those cookers are going off sooner, mostly in May rather than June, and back on later too, mostly in October not September as previously.
In conclusion
Fascinating to see how behaviours have changed in response to energy prices and as knowledge has spread about conversion to electric. Is the most interesting thing though how little they have changed?
Fuel is a LOT more expensive than 2019 and yet only 7% more Aga range cookers are going off for a brief period in the hottest months.
Electricity is by far the most climate friendly and sustainable option for running Aga range cookers, with the lowest running costs. In 4 years though only 4% more cookers run on electric, and most of them have been converted!
The. Aga. world. moves. slowly.
This is as it should be! These cookers we love can last 80 or more years. The inherent sustainability of this means decisions do not have to be taken quickly. The direction of travel is clear, by 2030 electric Agas will be running on completely renewable energy, but it will take a long time to get ALL Aga range cookers onto electric! My daughter is 3 years old. If she decides to join the family firm I suspect she'll spend many years helping Aga range cookers convert to electric. Perhaps you might still be reading these emails!
