Electric Cooker Installation Costs

How Much Does It Cost to Install an Electric Cooker?

An electrician will charge either by the hour or for the complete job. A cooker installation will usually take between 1 and 2 hours unless a new circuit and wiring is needed, and then it could take half a day or even a day.

The average cost of fitting an electric cooker, taking into account that an electrician will take around 2 hours, is between £60 and £120. On top of that, you must budget for the price of the cooker.

Electric Cooker Installation Prices

To give you an idea of the installation costs of a cooker, here are some average prices according to appliance type. As you can see, electric ovens can come in freestanding models with an integrated hob or as a separate oven and hob combination.

What are the Supply Costs for Fitting an Electric Cooker

Now that you have an idea about installation costs, you can apply your budget to the cost of buying an electric cooker. Have a look at the chart below for details of the types of cookers you can buy and the amount you can expect to pay.

What are the Additional Costs of Installing an Electric Cooker?

Additional costs you may need to think about include new wiring for your cooker, the installation of a new circuit or putting in a new socket.

Wiring

If your wiring is old or damaged, then it should be replaced. An electrician may use a twin core, 2.5mm heat-resistant cable for an electric cooker. The average cost is around £2 a metre. Wire clips to hold the wires in place are around £5 for a bag of 200.

Consumer Unit

The consumer unit contains all the circuits needed to provide power to your home. They are also known as fuse boxes.

The electricity is taken from the outside supply and fed into the various circuits in the box. An electrician will normally install a cooker to its own circuit because of the amount of power it uses.

A new circuit box will cost between £50 and £90.

New Cooker Socket

A traditional plug and socket is used to turn the cooker on and off. You can buy a cooker switch for between £5 and £10. You can also install a cooker control switch. This not only turns the cooker on and off, but it also acts as an isolator, which means you can cut it off from the electrical network. It’s an added safety feature. Cooker control switches cost on average between £10 and £40.

Installing Cooker Hood

If you’re going to fit a new cooker, then you may also be planning to buy a new cooker hood. Cooker hoods come in a wide range of designs.

You can choose an extraction cooker hood, a recirculation cooker hood or a chimney cooker hood. You can also buy cooker hoods for kitchen islands and built-in hoods. The cost depends on the functions and the design, but on average, you can buy a cooker hood for between £60 and £200.

Other Costs

If you decide to do other electrical work while you are hiring an electrician, then other additional costs could be for the price of moving a light switch. You might also decide to replace your light switches to look more modern or match with your décor. You can buy light switches for between £5 and £50 depending on the type of switch you choose to buy.

Tradesperson Costs for Installing an Electric Cooker

An electrician will charge between £25 and £60 an hour or between £200 and £480 a day. You’ll pay the higher end of the scale if you live in London or the South East of England, where the cost of services is higher than in other parts of the UK.

Some electricians charge a higher rate for the first hour. This helps to cover the costs of smaller jobs. So, you might find you pay £35 for the first hour and then £27 an hour thereafter.

If you have to call out an electrician for an emergency, then you should expect to pay between £100 and £150 for the call-out fee and then whatever they charge per hour.

In the chart below, we’ve priced some typical electrician’s jobs at an hourly rate of between £25 and £60.

How Long Does It Take to Install an Electric Cooker?

The time it takes to install a new cooker will depend on the jobs an electrician has to complete. Replacing a cooker without any additional wiring will likely take between 1 and 2 hours. But if the wiring to the cooker needs to be replaced or a new socket fitted, then the work could take half a day.

If the work included the installation of a consumer unit and new wiring, then the cooker installation could take a full day and cost between £200 and £480 for the entire installation.

If you have an electrician who charges £25 an hour, then you can expect to pay between £25 and £60 for an hour’s work or £50 to £120 for two hours.

Half a day would cost between £100 and £240, depending on the electrician’s hourly rate.

Here’s an idea of what an electrician does when installing a cooker without any complex issues:

Tools

• Wire strippers
• Pliers
• Screwdrivers
• Drill with drill bits
• Adjustable Spanner
• Voltage tester

Materials

• Wall plugs
• Screws
• Cable
• Electrical tape

First Steps: Turn off the power and use the voltage tester to check for live current.

Next: If you haven’t had a cooker in place before and there isn’t a cooker control unit installed for the main supply, then this will be the next job.

The third step is to strip the wires of the cooker cable, identify the wires and connect them to the cooker.

Once that’s been done, it is time to install the isolating switch by securing it to the wall and connecting the wires.

The final steps should be to double-check all the connections, push the cooker into place, and turn on the power for the consumer unit.

Now turn the cooker on and make sure all the functions are working correctly.

Types of Electric Cookers

Below is a description of the various types of electric cookers you can buy. Together with an average price range for each one.

Each type of electric cooker has its pros and cons. Basically, the advantages of an electric cooker are:

Pros

• Even heat distribution
• Multifunctional capabilities on some models
• Easier to clean than a gas hob
• Fast cooking on an induction hob
• Even browning on an electric grill

Cons

• A ceramic hob stays warm after the oven is turned off
• Higher running costs when compared to a gas cooker

Freestanding Electric Cooker

A freestanding electric cooker will provide you with an oven, grill, and hob all in one unit, and it slides into a space within your kitchen. They are often popular in households that want a larger-sized oven.

Pros

• More affordable than buying a separate oven and hob
• Easy to disconnect and take with you if you move
• It can be fitted around a new kitchen design

Cons

• Doesn’t provide an entirely built-in look for your kitchen
• Maybe more difficult to keep clean, especially if you can’t access the sides of the cooker
• It may not match your kitchen if you install a new design

Range Electric Cooker

Range cookers are usually larger than standard ovens because they contain a range of features.

Many include a main oven and a secondary oven, a separate grill, a warming compartment and a larger hob space with either more rings, a wok burner or a griddle.

Pros

• Ideal for large families who like to cook
• Plenty of additional features
• Can be the kitchen focal point

Cons

• Needs a location with enough space
• More expensive than a standard cooker
• Takes longer to clean than a standard cooker

Smart Cooker

A Smart cooker enables you to use it through an app on your phone. It means you can adjust the cooking temperature and monitor how your meal is cooking through a camera inside the oven.

Pros

• You can keep an eye on what’s in the oven even if you’re out of the house
• You can change the cooking duration and the temperature remotely
• You can use some functions with voice control

Cons

• You can’t turn the oven on while you’re not at home
• Not all oven functions work remotely
• As with anything over the internet, there may be security risks

Double Oven

A double oven will increase your cooking capacity and enable you to cook different foodstuffs at the same time. They are usually designed as one unit with one oven on top of the other.

Pros

• Cook more things at once

Cons

• Expensive
• Can take up a lot of space

Single Oven

A single oven is one of the most common oven types you will see in the average kitchen. It is cheaper to buy than a double oven and is suitable for most households.

Pros

• The capacity is often larger than a double oven, so you can fit larger dishes inside
• Cheaper to buy than a double-oven

Cons

• You can only cook one thing at a time
• You can’t use the grill if you are already using the oven

Built-in Oven

A built-in oven is installed inside a kitchen cabinet or a hole in the wall. Built-in ovens can also be placed under a work surface. The built-in design gives a seamless look to your kitchen.

Pros

• Looks modern and sleek
• Saves space

Cons

• Difficult to relocate once in place
• Costs more than a freestanding oven

Steam Oven

Steam ovens use moist heat to cook food by heating up water in a reservoir and creating steam. It cooks food fast and locks in nutrients which are sometimes lost in conventional cooking.

Pros

• Easy to reheat food
• You can cook without fat or oil
• Cooks food faster than a conventional oven

Cons

• Expensive to buy
• You can’t grill or brown food
• Difficult to clean

Compact Electric Oven

Compact ovens are designed to fit into spaces where height may be a problem. They are usually around 46cm in height (a standard oven is 60cm). Apart from the height, they have all the other features of a standard electric oven.

Pros

• Can fit into any small kitchen without taking up a lot of kitchen space
• Cheaper to buy

Cons

• Smaller so can't fit as much in

Electric Hob Types

You can choose from a ceramic or an induction hob if you want to use electricity. You can also have a venting hob using either an induction or ceramic hob if you don’t want to install a cooker hood to eliminate steam and odours.

Electric Venting Hob

A venting hob has an integral extractor fan to take away steam and odours from the hob. They are ideal if you need to save space.

Pros

• Space-saving design
• Energy efficient

Cons

• Some models can be noisy when in use
• Slightly more complex to install
• More Expensive to buy than traditional hobs

Ceramic Hob

Ceramic hobs are cheaper to buy than induction. They use electricity to generate the heat that’s needed.

Pros

• Less expensive to buy
• Easy to clean
• Uniform heat distribution

Cons

• Slow to cool down, so it may be dangerous with children around
• The ceramic glass may scratch or crack
• Burnt food may be difficult to remove

Induction Hob

An induction hob has coils underneath the rings, which generate heat when a pan is placed on top of it. They heat up rapidly and change temperature efficiently.

Pros

• Energy efficient
• Easy to clean
• Cools down immediately after a pan is removed

Cons

• More expensive than a ceramic hob
• Will only operate with pans manufactured for induction hobs
• The top may become scratched over time

Another type of cooker you can consider is a dual-fuel model. These usually have an electric oven with a gas hob. With dual fuel, you get the convenience of electricity and the cheaper running costs of gas. The cost to buy a dual-fuel freestanding oven is, on average, between £300 and £1,800.

If you want a large range cooker like an Aga, you can also have an electric-only model. Installation will take between 6 to 8 hours at a cost of between £150 and £480. However, because they are so heavy, it is likely that an electrician will have an assistant with him. An electrician’s mate will cost between £17 and £22 an hour.

The cost of buying an all-electric Aga is, on average, between £5,000 and £22,000, depending on the size and the features.

How Much Does It Cost To Remove an Electric Cooker?

An electrician may charge you for a full hour’s work even if it takes less. If this is the case, then you will pay between £25 and £60 for the removal. If you are not replacing the cooker, then the electrician may also disable the wiring to make it safe.

Your electrician might also offer to take it away at an extra charge.

Some appliance stores will remove your old cooker to install a new one and take it away for an extra charge, or if it’s an appliance that will go to recycling, then the service might be free.

Large items are often covered by your local council’s pick-up service, or you can contact a rubbish removal service. Normally, a person with a van will charge between £20 and £40 to dispose of an electric cooker.

FAQs

Q: Do I need a professional to install my electric cooker?

A: If your cooker needs to be installed with a new circuit, then you will require the services of a professional electrician. New circuits are notifiable work under building regulations. You can hire a registered electrician who can sign off the work without a building inspection and supply you with a certificate confirming the work has been completed to building regulation standards.

The rules are in accordance with Part P of building regulations. They state that certain works must be done by a part P registered electrician, or your local building regulations department must be informed of the work. It must be inspected when it is completed to make sure it complies with building regulations. You must also pay the relevant fees, which depend on your local authority but are, on average, between £150 and £300.

Notifiable work includes the installation of a new circuit, the replacement of a consumer unit or any alteration or addition to existing circuits in a special location. (Bathrooms or showers are special locations).

Q: Can I install an electric cooker myself?

A: If the new cooker doesn’t need any type of modification in the plug, wiring or circuit, then if you’re a competent DIY electrician, you might want to carry out the installation yourself. But if there are any changes, the work comes under Minor Installation Works and must be certified. Changes include an alteration to an existing circuit or the addition of a new outlet socket.

If you intend to do the work yourself, you must visit your local authority building regulations department, fill in the appropriate forms and pay the fee. (Between £150 and £300) When the work is completed, a person from the building regs will inspect it. If it has been carried out to the expected standard, you will be issued with a Part P Certificate.

You can also ask a registered electrician to inspect the work. The cost to sign off an electric cooker installation should be, on average, between £75 and £100, depending on which part of the country you live.

Q: Why is my cooker tripping the electricity?

A: There are several reasons a cooker might be tripping the electricity supply. It could be a circuit overload. This means there are too many appliances connected to one circuit, and the solution is to install a new circuit and redistribute the power load of your appliances.

Another cause of tripping could be a problem with the wiring, or the problem could be a fault in the cooker itself.

An electrician will be able to make a series of tests to find out what’s causing the problem so it can then be repaired.

Q: What should I consider when choosing an electric cooker?

A: The things to look for when you are choosing an electric cooker are:

• Features
• Size
• Oven Capacity
• Cooker Functions
• Cleaning
• Hob type

Q: Why does my newly installed electric cooker smell unpleasant?

A: This may come from the oil and grease used when the cooker was manufactured. Before you use your cooker for the first time, wipe the inside with hot, soapy water, rinse it, and then turn it on to a warm setting for 20 minutes or so. This should eliminate any unpleasant odours.

Sources

1. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a802da7ed915d74e622ceed/BR_PDF_AD_P_2013.pdf

Author: Josh C

I’ve been a writer since I left the military in 2013 after joining straight after High School. I have written for a wide variety of industries, in a vast array of styles for everything from recruitment, property and everything in between. As well as being a full-time copywriter, I’m also a freelance sports journalist and a fiction writer. I’ve been shortlisted for a few fiction prizes and my first novel should be released early next year dependant on the publisher’s timeline. I also have an Honours Degree in English and Creative Writing.