Running Costs & Efficiencies

Control & efficiency

One of the most common misconceptions about Rayburn is that they have to be 'always on'. In fact, the opposite is true, making them a bit like an on-off 'AGA'.

Even Rayburn solid fuel models offer automatic thermostatic control, while other fuel types allow for fully-programmable timers so that the Rayburn only provides the function you want when you need it. That's why Rayburn recommends a home survey to customers before they commission and install their range - to ensure they're buying the right model to suit their needs, and to recommend the best way to use a Rayburn in their home.

In terms of the fuel and heat efficiency of a Rayburn, their post-war origins ensure that they do as much as possible for as little as possible. The use of cast-iron is designed to hold onto heat, and let it trickle out slowly to the home whilst cooking. Engineering and technological advances in the intervening years have greatly added to this basic benefit: Rayburn boilers are now highly rated for their energy efficiency and fuel use. More crucially, today's Rayburn ranges includes many models that offer total, independent and programmable control over cooking, heating and hot water - so that every customer can tailor the use of a Rayburn to suit their own lifestyle.

Efficient energy use
A Rayburn is built to create and store heat in the most efficient way possible, using traditional materials, teamed with modern engineering and high-spec insulation to save heat - and money. When a Rayburn is used for cooking, heating and hot water, it operates at a level of fuel efficiency that equals - and sometimes betters - the separate provision of these functions. When you also factor in the 'AGA effect' of radiant heat that a Rayburn brings to the kitchen, you have an ancillary energy source that offers the output of a conventional radiator. Our customers use this for everything from drying clothes and warming food to incubating farm animals or preparing dried herbs - at no extra cost.

Don't forget that a kitchen radiator on a central heating system has an output of around 1.5kW per hour and, providing it's fitted with a thermostat, will automatically turn off when the Rayburn is running. That's a saving of at least 7.5kW day if the Rayburn is on for five hours - and probably more because it continues to release heat for a period after it's turned off.

Rayburn running costs - the facts

There is a Rayburn that runs on almost every fuel, and one to suit most sizes of home. For Rayburn models that provide hot water or hot water and heating, you'll need to consult a qualified heating engineer who can calculate running costs based on the size and type of home.

If you're wondering how much it will cost to run a cooker-only Rayburn, here's a handy table that shows the energy consumption. It costs surprisingly little to run a Rayburn, and these figures are based on running the Rayburn for five hours in the evening - providing all the cooking you need along with 5 hours of warmth into the kitchen.

Don't forget that a kitchen radiator on a central heating system has an output of around 1.5kW per hour and, providing it's fitted with a thermostat, will automatically turn off when the Rayburn is running. That's an offset saving of at least 7.5kW per day just for the radiator if the Rayburn is on for five hours - and probably more because it continues to release heat for a period after it's turned off. And that's in addition to the small appliances you won't need to run such as kettle, toaster, tumble drier, microwave and so on.

*Correctly seasoned hardwood logs

** Prices based on British Gas Standard with Energy Smart package for the Midlands - Sept 2012