Appliance manufacturers must soon supply customers new parts for repair - and make them cheaper to run

The Government hopes the move will cut carbon emissions (Photo: Shutterstock)The Government hopes the move will cut carbon emissions (Photo: Shutterstock)
The Government hopes the move will cut carbon emissions (Photo: Shutterstock)

The Government has said tough new rules for electrical product manufacturers will make appliances like TVs cheaper to run and give them a longer lifespan.

New measures hope to put a stop to so-called "premature obsolescence", where manufacturers build short lifespans into products like washing machines so customers will be forced to buy another sooner.

Among these measures is a legal requirement for manufacturers to provide spare parts to customers, in order to expand product lifespans by up to 10 years.

The Government hopes this will pass on savings to customers while also cutting the carbon emissions associated with the manufacturing of new products.

Alongside this, new, higher energy efficiency standards will be set for electrical goods, with consumers saving on carbon emissions as well as bills. Savings should average around £75 a year, say officials.

Simplified energy labels - based on an A to G scale - are also being introduced.

The new rules will apply to white goods like dishwashers, fridges, washing machines and TVs, and will come into effect this summer. The Government hopes the move will reduce the 1.5 million tonnes of electrical waste produced by the UK every year.

Business and Energy Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, 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 while 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 environmental audit committee chairman, Conservative MP Philip Dunne, welcomed the new crackdown on the “e-waste tsunami”.

“There should be no contest: consumers should have every right to fix items they own,” he said.

“Making spare parts available is the first step in creating a circular economy where we use, reuse and recycle products. We must stop using and disposing quite so much: we must take action if we are to protect the environment for generations to come.”