A gas-powered Aga can use as much as 40 times the energy of a regular oven. The company has introduced electric models in recent years in an effort to improve Aga’s environmental credentials, but even running one of these has been reported to cost as much as £70 per week in some cases.
Household energy bills surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the leap proved difficult to bear for many Aga owners, with reports that some resorted to ripping out their ovens.
While the burden of energy prices has dropped since 2023, kitchen manufacturers have recently warned of a slowdown in sales as middle-class customers postpone renovations amid fears they will be hit with tax rises in the Budget.
Despite the fall in Aga’s total revenues last year, exports to the US surged by 22.4pc. It is one of several British brands finding success by appealing to the American market. Other UK names expanding or planning to expand in the US include Fortnum & Mason and The Ivy.
Aga traces its roots back to 1922, when the first model was designed by Swedish scientist Gustaf Dalen, who had been blinded in an explosion and wanted an all-in-one appliance for his wife that could cook, heat water and dry laundry, easing the pressure of caring for him.
It was given a redesign by the Briton Douglas Scott, who also designed London’s Routemaster buses, in 1930. Scott partnered with the government during the Second World War to supply ovens at munitions works and hospitals. Today it is owned by Middleby Corporation, the American manufacturing giant.
Aga was contacted for comment.
