The renowned heat-storage cast-iron cooker is a family favourite around the world and an acknowledged design icon. Elegantly simple in its design, it has always been manufactured from recycled materials, the main constituent being scrap iron. 

In today’s far more waste and conservation-conscious society this has never been more relevant. Not only does it have a far greater average life span than conventional domestic cookers and other appliances, but its main components are made from waste-recycled iron – literally old car engine parts, pipes, gutters and so on.

Choice of fuel is also becoming increasingly important. Currently, in Portugal models in the Aga range are available with options for natural gas, LPG and electricity.

In recent years natural gas has led the way as the cleanest and lower-cost energy source. But the introduction of a simple 16-amp electric model has sparked enormous interest, thanks in part to the ease of installation and reduced maintenance costs.

A second generation of ‘smart’ units is also being worked on with the aim of bringing more sophisticated energy management systems. This means cookers will be made to fit in owners’ lifestyles and preferences. These models will be able to go into a ‘low input mode’ in the daytime, for example, if families are out and easily programmed to switch off and on during holidays or short breaks.

A third strand of development for the core Aga is designed to reflect current energy trends in biofuels and biomass.

Already, 2-oven, 3-oven and 4-oven Aga models are available with special pressure jet burners, which can run on oil or diesel. They will be capable of utilising biofuels once they become more widely available and Aga is working with several key industry players and leading universities to remain at the forefront moves to bring this new energy source into domestic homes.

We also plan to introduce an Aga capable of burning and running on biomass pellets.  We already have stove heating products capable of using this fuel and we are working in partnership with a specialist German company – a leader in this field – to develop an Aga capable of running entirely on biomass pellets.
Another significant new area of opportunity will be micro-generation of electricity. Running in parallel with Aga’s key product design and development work is a programme to work with other alternative energy specialists, notably wind power, solar power and heat pumps.

A key issue facing micro-generation projects is how to store energy for later use. This can involve batteries, hot water systems or the resale of electricity back to the national grid.

Of course the Aga is itself a kind of ‘heat battery’ utilising a small heat source and the tremendous heat storage capability of cast iron to produce a lifestyle cooking product by storing up heat and power ready for when it is needed.

It is perhaps no surprise, then, that we are already receiving requests for help and information from experienced Aga owners about the possibilities of utilising the Aga’s established characteristics for making the most of wind generation or solar energy schemes. 

And so we are working on several development site projects with leaders in these new energy fields and are even in the process of applying for planning permission for a wind turbine at the site of our research labs in Telford,  so that we can gain first hand experience of how we can further adapt our products to make best use of intermittent energy sources.

For more information on why the Aga is the original recycled product, click here