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More on KentOnline
Fridges, washing machines and televisions will cost less to run and be cheaper and easier to repair under new guidelines which have now come into force.
Tighter rules for how much energy white goods need to run could help save households £75 a year on their energy bills - while manufacturers will also be required to make spare parts available for the first time ensuring appliances can be fixed more easily.
The new 'right to repair' law aims to extend the lifespan of many electrical products by up to 10 years, says the government.
It will tackle, say ministers, ‘premature obsolescence’ where a short lifespan is deliberately built into appliances by manufacturers, which can force shoppers into costly complicated repairs or the need to buy a new one.
Manufacturers will now need to make spare parts readily available for appliances, which alongside cutting down the risk of expensive repairs for customers, should also prevent many goods 'ending up on the scrap heap sooner than they should' and helping to cut down on the 1.5 million tonnes of electrical waste the UK generates every year.
Consumer organisation Which? says parts and repairs will be divided into those households which could carry out by themselves - such as new hinges or drain filters for washing machines and new drawers for fridge freezers - and parts that will only be available to order by professionals.
The changes also set higher energy-efficiency standards for electrical products, reducing the amount of energy items like fridges and dishwashers consume in their lifetime and in turn saving homes money on their energy bills.
This should also lead to a reduction in around eight mega tonnes of carbon emissions this year alone - the equivalent of removing all emissions from Birmingham and Leeds for a year.
Speaking when plans were first announced in March, Business and Energy Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, explained: "Our plans to tighten product standards will ensure more of our electrical goods can be fixed rather than thrown on the scrap heap, putting more money back in the pockets of consumers whilst protecting the environment.
"Going forward, our upcoming energy efficiency framework will push electrical products to use even less energy and material resources, saving people money on their bills and reducing carbon emissions as we work to reach net zero by 2050."
The new rules follow changes to energy efficiency labels brought in on March 1, which simplify the way energy efficiency for appliances is displayed to shoppers, replacing the old A+, A++ or A+++ system with a new A to G scale. To read more about the change click here.
