Range Cooker News: July 2026

Energy costs are back in the driving seat this fortnight. Forecasters have put a number on the October price cap, off-grid kitchens have watched heating oil creep back up, and a reconditioned AGA deal is about to close. Here is what is worth knowing before you commit to a cooker.

Forecasters expect the October energy cap to rise again

E.ON Next’s price cap tracker, updated on 20 July 2026, puts the October to December cap at roughly £1,747 a year for a typical dual fuel home, up about £84 on the £1,663 that has applied since 1 July. Cornwall Insight, whose pre-announcement estimates usually land within a few pounds of Ofgem’s confirmed figure, is pointing the same way. Nothing is fixed until Ofgem confirms the numbers at the end of August, but the direction of travel matters if you are choosing between an electric heat storage cooker and a gas or dual fuel range: the gap between the fuels looks unlikely to narrow this winter. The forecast is on the E.ON Next price cap predictions page. Our range cooker running cost calculator and AGA running costs guide let you test the figures against your own kitchen.

Heating oil has climbed back off its summer low

Off-grid country kitchens got a reminder that cheap oil does not last. BoilerJuice put the UK average domestic kerosene price at 93.52p a litre on 23 July 2026, up sharply from around 77p at the start of the month, so the yearly low we flagged in early July has already gone. Anyone running an oil-fired AGA or Rayburn who was waiting for a better moment to fill the tank has largely missed this dip, though prices usually stay softer through August than they will once demand climbs from the autumn. If you are weighing oil against gas and electric on today’s rates, the AGA running costs guide lays them side by side.

AGA’s £1,000 reconditioned trade-in offer ends on 31 July

If a reconditioned AGA is on your shortlist, the clock is running. Range Exchange, one of the larger UK AGA reconditioners, is taking £1,000 off its latest reconditioned models with free removal of your old cooker, free UK delivery and professional installation included, but the deal closes on 31 July 2026 while stocks last. A reconditioned AGA is a well-established route into cast iron heat storage cooking at well below the price of a new one, and having removal and fitting covered takes a real line off the total rather than a token discount. Our AGA range cooker guide covers what to check before you buy one.