An appliance breakdown is bad enough at the best of times but is particularly awful at Christmas.
This is just one of the reasons why we offer appliance repairs. Another one is saving the planet.
The environmental impact of appliances is significant for a number of reasons. The carbon footprint used to make them, and mine the metals for them is large. Plastics are obviously not recyclable and the chemicals used in them or in the manufacture of them can be polluting.
This means that the longer your appliance lasts, the lower its overall carbon footprint, and the fewer appliances we send to landfill.
It is thought that between 2001 and the end of 2005 the average age of a washing machine from manufacture to being thrown out has dropped from 13.8 years old to 8.8 years. This is of course unnecessary if you can fix a washing machine, which we aim to do.
Things are looking up however, as the EU passed a new rule this year which puts the onus on appliance manufacturers to make it easier to fix their appliances. This means that spare parts must be available and affordable. It also means that they must be able to be taken apart using normal tools so that repairs are quick and easy.
European commissioner for climate action and energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, said: “Our eco-design measures can save European consumers a lot of money, as well as help the EU reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
“As we move towards our long-term goal of a fully decarbonised EU by 2050, our energy efficiency and eco-design strategy will become ever more important.”