For UK residents, new tougher rules are being brought in by the Government to make electrical goods cheaper to run and be able to last longer. This includes everyday appliances and goods such as washing machines, fridges, TV’s and of course, computers.
The new legislation has been dubbed ‘right to repair‘ and it aims to reduce the number of electrical goods being dumped due to ‘premature obsolescence’, which is basically a short lifespan that is built into the product by manufacturers to force people to replace their electrical goods sooner rather than later.
The new rules for electrical goods manufacturers will also pressure manufacturers to make their goods more energy-efficient, meaning cheaper electricity bills for consumers!
New legal requirements
What these changes also mean for manufacturers is that they will now have a legal requirement to make spare parts for their products available directly to their customers. This will also help to encourage more consumers to have their items repaired rather than dispose of them as soon as something goes wrong.
The idea of the new rules is to help extend the lifespan of most consumer electrical goods by up to ten years, which will go a long way to move people away from the growing disposable ‘throw-away‘ culture that has grown over recent years as electronic goods have become cheaper to buy.
It has often been the case that it can be cheaper to buy a new product than to repair a broken one, especially with things like washing machines and fridges where repair bills and spare parts can often cost more than the owner paid for the original machine.
Reduced emissions and waste
It has been calculated that by extending the life of electrical products such as computers, laptops, and household white goods, carbon emissions will be cut greatly from the manufacturing of new goods.
The impact of the new legislation is hoped to reduce the 1.5 million tonnes of electrical waste the UK generates each year.
Because of the higher energy efficiency standards being brought in for electrical goods, it is estimated by energy experts that an average household can save £75 per year on household bills and also help to cut carbon emissions by their electrical goods consuming less electricity over their extended lifetime.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the Government Business and Energy Secretary said: “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.”
New energy labelling on electrical goods
As part of the new legislation, new energy labels are being introduced to make the labelling of goods much easier to understand.
Instead of the previous ratings of A+, A++ or A+++ which were added as improvements to the energy-efficiency of new electrical goods were made, a more simplified system has now been introduced which is based on an A-G scale, so what may have been an A+ grade on the old system could fall under a G-rating.
What these new labelling categories mean is that very few electrical goods will be classed in the top-rated A class, but as more improvements are made over time many new innovative products will be graded as class A.
Simplifying the energy rating labelling will help consumers make a more informed choice when buying new goods so that they will understand how they will impact on their energy consumption and household bills.
Making repairs easier and more cost-effective
What the new rules will mean for most households is that it will become much easier to fix the things that they own. There will be more spare parts available to enable electrical goods to be repaired and old, worn out parts replaced rather than having to dispose of the whole item because a critical replacement part is impossible to get.
It could also see a revival in local community-based repair services reappearing, such as a local TV repair person because there will be a fresh demand from consumers for the skills and knowledge of an expert who can repair their electrical goods when they break down.
Making essential spare parts available is the first priority under the new rules. This means that from this summer it will become much easier for everyone to use, reuse and recycle their electrical products. This will help us to top using and disposing of quite so much electrical waste when there is no need to dump the whole product just because one part has broken.
Saving you money
The new ‘right to repair’ law could save you some serious cash because it will directly tackle the premature obsolescence built into most commercial electrical goods. In most cases, you could see a washing machine that would normally last for five years now lasting up to ten to fifteen years!
Making things cheaper to run and lasting longer will save you a lot of money, especially when you think about the number of electrical goods and gadgets you use and rely on in your home.
So what does this mean for your computers and laptops? It should mean that when you need a laptop or computer repair, the spare parts will be easier for me to source and you won’t need to worry about replacing your laptop or computer as soon as you think!
If you have suffered some damage to your laptop by dropping it, standing on it, or have accidentally spilt a drink over the keyboard, there is no need to despair. Manchester PC can sort this out for you.
If your laptop or computer has stopped working for whatever reason, we can run a diagnostic on it to find the problem and fix it for you. Our services include laptop repair, PC diagnostics, laptop screen replacement, laptop screen repair, computer upgrade, tech support for desktop, laptop, PC and Mac computers – and most can be fixed the same day.
If you are based in or around the Manchester area, do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your repair needs.
