I have been cleaning recently training both new franchisees and new employees and in the last month we have cleaned two ElectricKit converted AGAs. One of the customers was particularly unhappy with it. She had paid £3500 to get her old oil AGA converted and was finding it irksome to use after having her her oil AGA for so many years. So why don't some people like them...?
Lets first look at what is an Electrickit conversion is and is it worth spending money on getting your AGA converted.
The design of the AGA.
An AGA was originally designed to have one central heat source - a very large chunk of cast iron which was heated up by originally a coal fire and from about the early 1960s a gas or oil heat source and from about the early 1980s electricity.
So this is the traditional AGA and with the traditional style everything stays on all of the time. So the top plates are on all of the time and the ovens are heated up all of the time. Originally they also heated up the hot water in the home and the radiant heat made a very warm living environment. If you want to use the AGA there is no waiting time to pre-heat anything its up to temperature all of the time. To get different temperatures in the oven you move the trays of food to a higher position for more heat and lower down for less heat.
AGA originally brought out the 30 Amp Electric AGA as their first electric AGA in the early to mid 1980s. I say it now, as I have owned for 17 years, I think it's their best ever AGA. It was an AGA that was designed to heat up over night on cheap Off-Peak electricity. It is a night storage heater and is full of bricks. Today there are better EV (Electric Vehicle) rates which make the 30 amp not that too expensive to run. They discontinued the model in May of 2018. At the time they were selling for £13,000. So if you look at the reconditioned price today of about £6500 you'll get a 'restored' old style AGA at a bargain. (I recommend Rural Ranges or Mr Cooker).
The next electric AGA that AGA brought out was the 13 amp AGA introduced in 2004. This was like the original AGA with the chunk of metal that needed heating up. The 13 amp has an electric element very much like those you'd find in an old fashion electric fire that glow red when they heat up. This element heats up and heats the chunk of metal. I have noticed that AGA is referred to as single element electric AGA on some sites and when energy use is mentioned for electric AGAs.
There was, and still is if you own one, a bit of problem with the 13 Amp Electric AGA. It's very expensive to run! And I mean eye watering expensive to run. And today in 2025 if you have one how do you cut the price of running it. Well you either get rid of it or you convert it with a conversion kit such as the Electrickit conversion kit or the eControl conversion kit.
What Happens in An Electrickit Conversion
I have never done one, but I have looked into this. I have found the installation guide for the fitting of the conversion and what it entails is taking out all of the insulation from the AGA, the large chunks of metal from the oil, electric, gas AGA - and also the 30 Amp (not sure why you would convert this one though) - so the main large chunk of cast iron that is heated up in a traditional AGA under the roasting plate, and the two top plates.
Then insulation is added - the ovens are wrapped in ceramic insulation. That's about it. So the AGA has lots of empty space in it now.
Then the heating elements are added (they look just like a grill element you'd find in ordinary cooker).
On a 2 oven AGA: one element is fixed between the two ovens.
On a 3 oven AGA, as the two oven AGA with another element below the baking oven.
On a 4 or 5 oven AGA, as for the 2 or 3 oven AGA with another element in the left hand side compartments.
Then for the top plates two heating elements are fitted - they look like old fashion cooker elements but they are covered with a thin cast iron top. You can also get an induction plate.
For venting you can add a pipe from the roasting oven and then just run it outside. I have seen this conversion in the two converted AGAs I have cleaned. But I have noticed that some ElectricKit convertors are saying that they vent back into the room.
A control panel is put into where your old controls were.
So what you've ended up with is a cooker which looks like an AGA but works like a normal range cooker. So you can use it like a normal cooker though as the ovens aren't fan assisted they will take longer to heat up.
For me , and I expect most owners of the traditional AGA, this would be an adjustment as currently when I need to cook I just put the food into the oven.
You can also use it like an AGA Dual Control and keep it on all of the time and then just turn up the heat when you need to cook something. For me this is how I would run it though obviously the running costs are going to be higher than just using as a switch on, switch off cooker.
And you'll get some radiant heat into your kitchen. Not so much as the always on AGA but it will be warm. I think you'd need to think about installing a radiator in your kitchen whichever way you choose to run it.
Also the heat in the ovens is going to be the 'wrong way' around. As the hottest part of the oven will be at the bottom of the roasting oven and not at the top.
Cost of Conversion
I've seen reconditioned AGAs that have been converted for over £10000. Really I can't see the value in paying this much for one of these AGAs. If you are looking at these I would recommend that you consider the Everhot. A very nice looking AGA style cooker that is designed to be on all of time.
For converting your existing AGA the cost is about £3000 but you might want to upgrade some bits on your AGA - say new Chrome Domes.
Is it worth it
If you currently have a single element electric AGA - aka the 13 amp it will get out of your pain. But you will have to pay the cost of the conversion, and maybe an installation of a new kitchen radiator. So it will take you a while to get into positive position. I think the cooking experience won't be the same but you'll get used to it. There are lots of people pleased with this conversion and like using the cooker. But there are some who can't adjust to new style of cooking and new way of living in their kitchen.