A freestanding cooker puts the oven and the hob in one appliance, which makes it quicker to swap than a fitted oven and hob, but the fuel type changes who does what. Cooker installation for an all-electric model is an electrical connection and a positioning job. A gas or dual fuel cooker also needs its gas connection made by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Knowing which you have is the first question worth answering.
Voltify Contractors installs freestanding electric cookers in homes and rented properties across East and South-East London, including Canary Wharf, Stratford, Bow, Canning Town, Greenwich, Woolwich and Barking, as part of our appliance installation service. This page covers the practical checks for electric cooker installation: the fuel type, the gap between the units, the cooker switch, stability and what tends to turn up when the old cooker is pulled out.
Electric, Gas or Dual Fuel: What Each Cooker Needs
Cookers are sold by fuel type, and the label on the listing does not always make the connections obvious. A dual fuel cooker, for example, has a gas hob but an electric oven, so it needs both supplies.
| Cooker type | Supply it needs | How the connection is handled |
|---|---|---|
| Electric (ceramic, solid plate or induction hob with an electric oven) | Normally a dedicated cooker circuit, connected through a cooker switch and outlet plate | Voltify Contractors connects it after checking the circuit suits the cooker’s rating |
| Dual fuel (gas hob, electric oven) | Gas supply for the hob and an electrical supply for the oven | The electrical side can be handled by us; the gas connection must be made by a Gas Safe registered engineer |
| Gas (gas hob and gas oven) | Gas supply, plus a standard socket for the ignition, clock or oven light on most models | The gas connection must be made by a Gas Safe registered engineer |
If you are switching from gas to electric, the old gas supply will also need capping by a Gas Safe registered engineer before the new electric cooker goes in. Tell us about any gas element when you first get in touch, so it is clear from the start which parts of the job are carried out separately and in what order. Our guide to gas vs electric cooker installation costs explains how a change of fuel adds to the work.
The Electric Cooker Connection
Most freestanding electric cookers, and almost all with an induction hob, draw more power than a 13A plug can supply, so they arrive without one. They are wired from a cooker outlet plate on the wall behind the cooker, fed from a cooker switch that should be within reach and not directly above the hob.
The electric cooker installation itself is straightforward when the existing circuit was designed for a cooker of a similar size. Checks are needed when:
- The new cooker has an induction hob and the old one did not. Induction models often have a noticeably higher rating than the ceramic or solid plate cookers they replace.
- The cooker is going where there was a gas cooker before, so there may be no suitable electrical supply at all.
- The outlet plate or cooker switch is scorched, cracked or loose, which is a sign of past overheating and a reason to replace it rather than reconnect to it.
- The cable from the outlet plate is too short or has been crushed behind the old cooker.
Where a new cooker circuit or a cable upgrade is needed, including for a higher-rated induction or range cooker, we carry it out as part of our electrical services and issue an Electrical Installation Certificate for the new circuit. It is worth knowing before the cooker is delivered rather than on the day. Our consumer unit and fuse box page explains what the fuse box side of the work involves.
Can You Connect an Electric Cooker Yourself?
If the cooker came with a 13A plug, it only needs a suitable socket within reach. Most freestanding electric cookers don’t. They are hard-wired into the cooker outlet plate, and the terminal connections, the cable clamp and the route of the cable all matter because that circuit can carry a heavy load for hours at a time.
Online guides make the connection look like a few screws and a clamp. The part that needs an electrician is everything around it: whether the circuit suits the new cooker’s rating, whether the switch and plate are sound, and whether the cable reaches without being stretched. If you are disconnecting an old cooker before delivery, switch the cooker circuit off at the fuse box, not just at the cooker switch.
Will It Fit the Gap?
Freestanding cookers are commonly sold in 50cm, 55cm and 60cm widths, and range cookers are wider again. The number that matters is the width of the space between your units, measured at worktop height and again at floor level, because older kitchens are not always square.
A cooker that is a tight squeeze can scrape the worktop edges and stop the cooker being pulled forward later for cleaning or servicing. Measure the depth too, including anything on the wall behind, such as a pipe or a socket, that could stop the cooker sitting back far enough. If the hob will sit under a cooker hood, the manufacturer sets a minimum distance between the two; a new cooker that is taller than the old one can reduce that gap. Our extractor hood installation page covers how that height is set.
Range cookers are heavier and often have a higher rating than a standard cooker, so the floor, the route into the kitchen and the electrical supply all need checking before one is ordered.
Stability Brackets and Levelling
Many freestanding cookers are supplied with a stability bracket or chain that fixes the back of the cooker to the wall or floor. It stops the cooker tipping forward if weight is put on the open oven door, which matters in any home with children. Manufacturer instructions normally require it to be fitted, and it is one of the parts most often left in the box when a cooker is installed in a hurry.
The cooker is also levelled on its adjustable feet so the oven shelves and pans sit flat and the hob lines up with the worktop on each side.
When the Old Cooker Comes Out
Pulling out a cooker that has been in place for years often shows things nobody has seen for a while: grease and debris underneath, a cracked floor tile, a damaged section of vinyl or a patch of wall that was never finished. None of these stop the installation, but they are easier to deal with while the space is empty. Small repairs to the floor or the surrounding units can be combined through our handyman and property maintenance service.
The floor in front of the space is protected while the old cooker is moved out and the new one moved in, because a loaded cooker dragged across a kitchen floor can mark or tear it.
Cooker, or Separate Oven and Hob?
If you are still deciding between a freestanding cooker and a fitted setup, the installation work is quite different. A built-in or built-under oven and a separate hob need kitchen housings and a worktop cut-out, and they are covered on our oven installation and hob installation pages. A freestanding cooker needs only the right gap and the right supply, which is why it is a common choice in rented properties and when a kitchen is not being refitted.
How an Electric Cooker Installation Visit Runs
- Switch off the cooker circuit at the fuse box and prove it is dead before the old cooker is touched.
- Disconnect the old cooker and move it out with the floor protected.
- Inspect the cooker switch, the outlet plate and the cable for scorching, cracks or crush damage.
- Check the new cooker’s rating against the existing circuit before anything is connected.
- Connect the cooker at the outlet plate, fit the stability bracket, ease it into the gap and level it.
- Switch on and test every hob zone, the oven and the grill before the job is signed off.
What Affects the Cost of Cooker Installation
The documented minimum call-out is £80 for the first hour. A like-for-like electric cooker swap onto a suitable existing circuit is at the simpler end. The cost rises if the outlet plate or cooker switch needs replacing, if the circuit is not suitable for the new rating, if an induction or range cooker needs a new supply, or if the gap needs adjusting. Parts and cable are not included in the call-out minimum, and any gas work for a gas or dual fuel cooker is carried out and priced separately by a Gas Safe registered engineer. We can also disconnect the old cooker and take it away for disposal, so mention it when you book and it is included in the quote.
To get a clear answer quickly, send the model number of the new cooker, a photo of the space with the old cooker in place, and a photo of the cooker switch and the outlet plate if you can see it. Contact Voltify Contractors to discuss the job, or check the areas we cover.
