EU announces new regulations for household appliances

In a bid to make sure household appliances are as energy efficient as possible, the EU has adopted new regulations. This was announced at the beginning of this month, and will be effective across all of Europe.

The regulations will apply to all household appliances, including fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, and televisions. As well as improving energy efficiency in households, it’s also hoped that the regulations will encourage appliances to be repaired or reused more often.

The regulations say that all household appliances will have to comply with several requirements in terms of environmental responsibility. This would include recyclability, reusability, and reparability.

For example, the regulations say spare parts must continue to be available for 10 years after the item was purchased. Additionally, manufacturers will need to make sure consumers are given adequate information on maintenance so professional repairers can comply with the requirements.

There are also additional guidelines on water consumption, including maximum water usage per cycle for washing machines, and marking chemicals to try and reduce waste.

This is part of the commission’s ongoing efforts to reduce Europe’s carbon emissions. And in addition to this, it says it’s aiming to reduce energy bills for citizens.

According to Jyrki Katainen, European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, the updated rules could save each person, on average,  €150 per year a year on their energy bills.

In an interview, Katainen noted that the EU is “embracing the circular economy and predicts the amount we will save will be equivalent to the annual energy consumption of Denmark by 2030.”

The EU aims to reduce the current rates of disposal of appliances that are broken or worn. It plans to do this by finding ways that they can be repaired so consumers are able to keep using them for longer.

Monique Goyens, Director General of BEUC and the European Consumer Association noted: “The new repair requirements will help improve the lifetime of everyday appliances that currently fail too quickly.”

Please follow and like us: