General FAQs
Do Thornhill Range Cookers that turn on and off really save money and cook as well as an Aga range cooker? Why don’t all you manufacturers give exact running costs?
YES, YES & YES! Our hot plate heats up in a few minutes, and the oven takes about 20 minutes to get from cold to 180C. In winter you might have it on 100C already to heat the room and so it would only take 10 minutes to get to 200C. The cooking experience is still the all-round infra-red heat of a heavy iron range cooker. Most people with a 24/7 Aga range cooker have a second cooker for summer use. Most people with a Thornhill range cooker do not. Says it all?
So why does everybody seem to fudge the question ‘how much does it cost to run’? Well the answer depends on how you run it, for how long, and how much you want to heat the room it’s in, so it is a difficult question.
A timer can be used with our ovens, and the cooker can be used as an efficient room heater by leaving the cooker thermostat on, say, 100C, and timing it to come on with the central heating. In colder weather the oven temperature is set higher. A radiator in most kitchens is not then required. The cooker will also be ready to use. However, in the summer and on warm days, the cooker can just be turned on when needed, saving a lot of expensive fuel. For a lot of the time, a warm cooker in the kitchen and a wood stove in the sitting room is sufficient to heat the whole house.
But remember, if you heat the kitchen with the cooker and not a radiator it will not cost 1p more per hour. It only costs more if you can’t turn it off when you don’t want it, like an Aga range cooker. Imagine your oil or gas bill if your central heating was on 24/7. Doesn’t bear thinking about!
How much is installation?
Our price includes delivery and installation in most cases, this is subject to conditions of course, mainly that you are ready for the cooker.
A NACE, HETAS or OFTEC registered technician should be used to prepare the site, line a chimney if necessary, bring the oil line nearby and connect the boiler if you have ordered one. We can help with all this as we like to know our cookers are properly installed, this is how we can also include a 3 year guarantee with each cooker.
It should not cost any more to install a boiler Thornhill Range model than installing a standard boiler. A chimney will almost certainly need lining, unless built after 1967, after which all chimneys had to be lined. This means that often a balance flue model, (oil only) is usually cheaper than a conventional flue model but you have to have the cooker on an outside wall.
Please contact us for any further questions.
How close can I put cupboards and work tops to the cookers?
If you want to put wooden cupboards next to the cooker it is best to leave a 40mm gap and just put an infill panel in the front. With the wood burning cooker on the firebox side, a gap of 100mm is required, this can be reduced to 80mm if 40mm of insulation is added. With the wood burning cooker a 50mm gap must be let at the back to flammable material. Some people put cupboards right next to the cooker. We do not recommend this unless you at least place a piece of ‘masterboard’ or similar fireproof board (about 12mm thick) between the side of the cooker and the cupboard, to reduce the heat transmission.
Granite work tops can be brought right up to the black hobs with just a couple of mm for expansion. but we would recommend a small gap (5-10 mm) with wooden tops to reduce cracking. You must be able to lift the hob off for maintenance, so don’t glue tiles above them. Put the tiles on the wall and gently push the cooker back to them, then lift the black top back on. It’s very simple – no complex chrome bolts or adjustments.
Can any plumber fit your Thornhill Ranges?
Yes, provided he is registered or is supervised by a registered ‘competent’ person, or you apply for building regulations at your local authority. You can look up installers at the relevant web sites, OFTEC, GAS Safe or HETAS.
I have been looking at the Aga range cookers and one of things I like is that the flue takes the cooking odours out of the kitchen. I want a more eco-friendly cooker but do Thornhill Ranges have the same facility as the Aga range cooker in eliminating cooking smells?
Yes, our main ovens vent into the flue.
Cooking and Heating
The great thing about ‘going green’ is it can be done without sacrifice. In fact, you can do it in style. If you dream of a country kitchen with a beautiful wood burning range cooker, technological developments have made the dream an eco-friendly reality. Picture a cast iron 3- or 5-oven wood burning cooker, warming the home and cooking your meals to perfection.
Wood is a clean, efficient and renewable form of energy, yet the majority of homes in the UK rely on electricity for both cooking and heating. Wood and wood pellets are a carbon neutral option in Aga range cooker styles, which are used for cooking and heating the kitchen simultaneously.
And the best part? You’ll actually save on heating bills – great news since the price of electricity and oil are on the rise. Our unique Thornhill range cookers are one of the most efficient cookers in the world, harnessing maximum power from whichever fuel you choose to use. This saves you money; they cost around £1,000 less in fuel and servicing than a traditional Aga range cooker.
Going Green in Style – Your Eco Friendly Kitchen
We don’t need to be told the importance of choosing eco-friendly options. To reduce our carbon footprints we recycle our tins, switch the TV off rather than leaving it on standby and share cars whenever possible. But what can be done about the really big things in the home? It’s easy to push things like heating and cooking to the back of our minds, and after all, nobody should feel guilt-tripped into sacrificing cooking home meals and or heating in winter. But the kitchen is one of the least eco-friendly rooms in the home, and one simple change can transform your carbon footprint.