24 January 2024 , 09:30
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An advert for AGA electric cookers has been banned because it claimed to have the lowest running costs of any similar range.
The ad for the AGA eR7 Series stated that it was "fully programmable for the most efficient operation", but rival Everhot challenged this, saying it was misleading. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) compared the running costs of AGA and Everhot's 110i model.
They found that the AGA eR7's hot plate cost 18p an hour to run, while the Everhot 110i's hot plate and simmer plate cost 6.6p per hour. The ASA stated: "Even though the Everhot data also included the use of the simmering plate, we understood that the Everhot 110i model used less energy than the AGA eR7, and therefore considered that the Everhot model was more efficient in its energy use for the hotplate function."
They also discovered that the hottest oven of the AGA eR7 cost 13.5p an hour to run, while the Everhot 110i cost 12.3p an hour. The ASA said: "Again, we understood from the data that the Everhot was more efficient in its energy use for the hottest oven function. Because of that, we did not consider that the data demonstrated the AGA eR7 had the lowest running costs of any cast-iron heat-storage range cooker."
The advertisement didn't provide any information to help consumers compare the running costs with other heat-storage cast-iron range cookers or direct them to where they could find it. The ASA voiced, "As such, the ad did not allow consumers or competitors to verify the comparison and we concluded the ad breached the Code."
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It wrapped up by saying: "Because the Everhot was more energy efficient when in use, we considered that the data supplied by AGA was not sufficient to substantiate the claim. Furthermore, we noted that AGA did not provide us with the running costs for any other cast-iron heat-storage range cookers."
"For those reasons, we considered the data was not sufficient to substantiate that the AGA eR7 had the lowest running costs of any heat-storage cast-iron range cooker, and concluded the ad was misleading."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]