Rayburn is greener than Aga . . . unless you have an anaerobic digester

"It’s time to come clean. I have a domestic problem to the tune of a £3000-a-year gas bill. No, I don’t live in a huge draughty mansion, just a rather uninspiring 70s-style chalet house," said Jane. Her Aga is one of the main culprits for this gas bill, Jane said, "I feel guilty over the waste of burning gas all day when the house is empty from 8am to 4pm."

This dilemma led Jane to seek out a meeting with Aga at their Coalbrookdale foundary near Telford. She hoped that the trip would give her the chance to see how Aga is moving into the era of 'green' cookers after 300 years of casting iron at the Coalbrookdale site.

She discovered that new Aga's are made from 70% recycled materials and now Aga owners can programme the temperature control on certain models and save up to 30% on annual fuel bills. Alsom, Methane produced by anaerobic digesters, biofuels and even wind power are being explored as new energies for Aga.

Rayburns now outsell the traditional Aga mainly because they are more versatile as a cooker, central heating system and hot water provider and are seen as greener. A major research project is currently under way to test both Aga and Rayburns on another low carbon fuel; bio-oil which is a mixture of cooking oil and kerosene.

Farmers Weekly Interactive