Explaining The Electric Aga Cookers

As the years have progressed, AGA Rangemaster have adapted their original cooker to accommodate the modern lifestyle and changing needs. A range of retro-fit third-party conversions can also update traditional older models to controllable electric.

We're independent from AGA Rangemaster, and offer our own fully refurbished aga cookers, with traditional or efficient electric conversion systems inside. We use original british-made cast iron parts of older aga cookers, and refurbish them to incredible standards - many people can't distinguish our models from brand new ones!


What makes a new electric Aga cooker different from  Saltire Cookers' Refurbished Aga Cookers?


  • New Aga cookers are delivered in one piece. They are manoeuvred into place using dolly trucks etc, then plugged in. Saltire Cookers Refurbished Aga Cookers are all built up on site in the traditional way. We've fitted our aga cookers in townhouse basements, castles, underground war bunkers, remote off-grid manor houses and tenement flats.


  • They have integrated plinths at a set height. Our refurbished cookers are flexible in height to match different worktops and designs. Our adjustable plinths come in the standard 50mm, 60mm or 80mm heights.


  • New aga cookers need around 10mm clearance around them, for moving into position. Saltire Cookers' Refurbished Models need just 3mm for slight deviation is castings. Less space for crumbs or utensils to disappear into!


  • Technicians for new aga cookers carry a laptop for technical diagnostics of computer boards inside the cookers. We only need a well-stocked toolbox. Think of the difference between a new technical Mercedes, and the old faithful land rover defenders.


  • New aga models can have a mix of ovens - some metal, some cast iron and some conventional fan ovens. If you want a traditional Aga cooker, seek out cast iron radiant heat ovens (like the ones that can be found in our traditional British-made, refurbished models).


  • Death by choice. There are lots of options for new aga cookers - eR3, eR7, eR7i, ERA, R3, R7, phew. Saltire Cookers models come in 13amp, controllable electric, oil or gas. Simple.



The 13amp Electric Aga Cooker


This model is no longer produced and is only available as a refurbished model. It uses a single large electric element in place of the traditional oil or gas burner, requiring a single household socket switch. This system is perfect for the traditional aga cooker 'feel', and emits loads of ambient heat into the room, is always on and ready to use, but can be quite expensive to run.


They will consume around 225kW of energy per week, which (in Jan 2025) will cost around £60 per week.


The basic 13amp system has one thermostat and one control dial. More complex systems have computerised boards inside for remote controls but these fail frequently and are very expensive to replace.


The 30amp Electric Aga Cooker


This is the hottest of all the aga cookers. No longer produced, it works by pulling an electric charge overnight (using a lower-cost economy 7 tariff), and stores this heat using fire bricks inside. It then releases this stored heat over the course of the day. We do not stock or refurbish 30amp models due to issues with their control boards, fans and other consumable parts.


Flexible Electric Models


These modern versions of the famous cooker are more flexible by incorporating separate elements into the build. You can choose to have all ovens and hotplates on, or switch them off and use them as and when needed.


Individual electric elements are placed around the cast iron parts (ovens and hotplates) to provide flexibility. These can be operated by the control panel.


eR7 (based on the older Total Control)

These models come with a touchscreen panel (very modern!) to allow independent control of the elements. You can control each oven with pre-set temperature settings.


eR3

The least similar to a traditional Aga Cooker. One chrome lid, square induction hob, metal ovens, conventional grill, main ovens on the left, aga badge on the right - a purist's nightmare! BUT, a very modern aga cooker.


eR7

Similar to the older Total Control, with the iconic AGA look (although an induction version with one chrome lid is available). Designed to be flexible. Limited to pre-set temperature settings (R1, R2, B1, B2 etc). Cast iron ovens.


R3

Designed to be always on with lots of ambient heat into the room, it's most similar to the original 13amp aga cookers, but with on/off hotplate controls. Running costs can be higher due to the always on design and the lack of complete flexible temperature control.


R7

Similar to the older Dual Control. Our favourite out of all the brand new aga models. The traditional aga look, simple controls, cast iron ovens. The hobs can be controlled separately from the ovens but the ovens are controlled together (aka, either off or on). Customers have chosen the Dual Control in the past for the slumber mode which allows the Aga Range to be brought up to temperature faster than normal.


ElectricKit

This is the most-loved conversion system for traditional aga cookers. Made by an independent company (not AGA), it essentially turns the insides of the AGA into an EverHot, but with cast iron ovens! Slumber modes, full temperature control, touchscreen controls, induction upgrades are all modern features, but you have the traditional aga look, original cast iron 'British made' ovens, and you can run it 24/7 if preferred.



We currently choose not to take the newer eR and R models into our workshop. Refurbishing these models tends to consist of minimal re-enamelling without refurbishing the electric systems inside. We do a better job upgrading the traditional 'British made' models to their original spec oil, gas and 13amp electric, or installed with our efficient ElectricKit Conversion.

About The Author:


Steven has been working with Aga Cookers since he was helping his father from the ripe old age of 10 years old! He created SALTIRECOOKERS with transparency and information in mind - a sustainable, family business, built to advise and share knowledge passed throughout the generations.


His absolute favourite part of the job is meeting all of the dogs.


About The Author:


Steven has been working with Aga Cookers since he was helping his father from the ripe old age of 10 years old! He created SALTIRECOOKERS with longevity in mind - a sustainable, family business, built to last throughout the generations. His favourite part of the job is meeting the dogs, seeing a good before/after and hearing great feedback.

Some Further Reading:

Plinths for Aga Cookers

by Steven Johnson • 22 February 2026
Our black steel plinths are available to add onto your cooker order if required. They add additional height to the overall Aga dimensions and are available in multiple heights to suit your kitchen design. Traditionally, these British-made Aga Cookers were 851mm from the base to the top of the black enamelled surface. When do you need a plinth? If your worktop or ideal working height is taller than 851mm and you want your Aga Cooker to match them, you'll need a plinth underneath. Brand new Aga Cookers (as well as our ESSE and Everhot cookers) have a fixed height plinth built into the cooker body. If you need these raised higher, you'll need to lay marine-grade plywood or concrete at the required height before installation. What sizes of plinths are available? Our plinths are available in 50mm to 80mm sizes. They also allow for levelling of the base before the assembly of the cooker begins. How do I choose my plinth size? When choosing your required height, you should consider your finished floor height vs your worktop height. It's standard for Aga Cookers to finish slightly proud of the worktop, since the top plate is curved rather than a right-angle ( photo shown below ). If you were to finish level with the worktop, you will have a bigger 'valley' in-between, where crumbs and debris love to collect! Usually, the plinth is seated onto the subfloor, with finished flooring/tiles ran up to and around the plinth once the cooker is built. Alternatively, you can either seat the plinth directly onto the finished floor/tiles, as long as they can bare the weight of the cooker, or we can raise the plinth using the adjustment legs, to allow the finished floor to tuck underneath slightly ( photo shown below). If choosing this option, you should bare in mind the supporting feet in each corner of the plinth start at around 20mm from the front of the plinth. This means your flooring could run underneath for a depth of around 20mm if preferred. After the cooker is built, there are NO adjustments in height, without a strip down and rebuild. What do Aga Cooker plinths look like?

Aga Cookers and Asbestos

by Steven Johnson • 30 January 2026
The internal cavities of Aga Cookers have historically been filled with loose-fill insulation. Inside the cooker body, there are lots of pockets and gaps around the cast iron conductions and burner casings etc. The insulation was poured inside after the build was complete, to rid the cooker of air pockets and insulate the cooker body. Diatomaceous Powder Insulation Early models of Aga cooker, like the Standard models made from the 1950's through to the Deluxe 1974 models (and some post-1974 models), would have originally contained Kieselguhr insulation power (or 'Diatomaceous Earth'). You can identify your model here. This is a fine, talc-like insulation, made from crushed up fossils called diatoms. It's satisfying to touch, but VERY messy to work with and instantly becomes thick clay once exposed to water or moisture. The good news is that amorphous diatomaceous earth is non-toxic. As with anything in powder or dust form - minimising exposure is key. You don't want to be breathing in lung-fulls of any dust or powder. If you're working with it, the proper PPE should be used; not just cloth or paper dust masks. Whilst the loose fill insulation may be ok, these models are still the most at risk for any asbestos exposure. AGA used asbestos rope seals inside their cookers for many years. These seals and gaskets are found inside the body of the older models explained above, and also around the lids and doors. Over the lifetime of these cookers, many of these gaskets and rope seals have been replaced for modern (safe) equivalents. AGA have previously reassured engineers and customers that undisturbed, these seals pose little risk and were of 'dust suppressed' or 'tightly woven' formats. Many of them have been exposed to moisture or grease over time which hardens them, meaning they're less friable in nature. They recommend that really old models of cooker are removed in one piece if possible and disposed of professionally.

How to light your Gas Aga Cooker

by Steven Johnson • 27 January 2026
If you need to light your gas aga cooker, follow these instructions to get your aga up and running again. We cover both Maxitrol and Eurosit valves with step-by-step lighting instructions.
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