The Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Amendment) Regulations 2021 introduced right to repair spare parts obligations for specific product categories, including washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerating appliances, electronic displays, welding equipment and electric motors, but boilers and other space heaters are not among the products the regulations cover.

What the right to repair rules actually require

The UK’s right to repair regulations, which came into force on 1 July 2021, place a legal obligation on manufacturers of certain electrical appliances to make specified spare parts, along with repair and maintenance information, available for a set number of years after a model is discontinued, generally somewhere between seven and ten years depending on the product category. Most spare parts covered by the rules only have to be made available to professional repairers, though a smaller category, such as door hinges and seals or drain filters on dishwashers, must be made available directly to consumers as well.

Which products are covered

The regulations set out a defined list of product categories that fall within scope: household washing machines and washer-dryers, household dishwashers, refrigerating appliances, electronic displays, electric motors and variable speed drives, and welding equipment. Each category has its own specific spare parts list and repairability requirements attached to it under the regulations.

Why boilers are left out

Boilers and other space heaters are not included in the product categories covered by the 2021 regulations. That gap exists because the right to repair obligations were built on top of pre-existing Ecodesign product regulations for each category, and the specific Ecodesign requirements that apply to boilers were never extended to include the spare parts and repairability obligations added for other appliance categories in 2021, so no legal spare parts guarantee comparable to the one covering a washing machine or dishwasher currently applies to a boiler.

What this means in practice

In practice, a boiler manufacturer is not under the same legal obligation as a washing machine manufacturer to keep specified spare parts available for a set number of years after a model is discontinued, or to make repair information available on the same statutory footing. Spare parts availability for a boiler is instead a matter of the manufacturer’s own commercial policy and typical industry practice, rather than a right to repair guarantee with a defined minimum period set in regulation.

What still protects a boiler owner

The absence of Ecodesign spare parts rules does not remove other protections a boiler owner already has: the manufacturer’s own guarantee, any extended warranty purchased separately, and general Consumer Rights Act remedies for a boiler that develops a fault within a reasonable period after installation all continue to apply independently of the right to repair regulations. These routes are just not backed by the specific statutory spare-parts-availability guarantee that now covers products like washing machines and dishwashers.

The EU has gone further

Since the UK’s 2021 regulations were introduced, the EU adopted a broader Right to Repair Directive extending repair obligations across a wider range of products. The UK has not matched this broader EU measure, which means UK consumers currently have narrower statutory repair rights than EU consumers for products the EU directive covers but the UK’s 2021 regulations do not, a gap that includes boilers on both sides of the comparison.

Why this matters when choosing a boiler

Because spare parts availability for a boiler is not underpinned by the same statutory minimum that now applies to appliances like washing machines, asking a manufacturer or installer directly how long parts are typically kept available for a given boiler range, before buying, is a more useful question than it might otherwise be. Some manufacturers commit to longer voluntary parts-availability periods than others, and since there is no regulatory floor forcing a minimum period for boilers specifically, that commitment varies by brand and model rather than being guaranteed across the market.

FAQs

Does UK law guarantee my boiler manufacturer keeps spare parts available?

No. Boilers and other space heaters are not among the product categories covered by the UK’s 2021 right to repair regulations.

Which appliances does the UK’s right to repair law actually cover?

Washing machines and washer-dryers, dishwashers, refrigerating appliances, electronic displays, electric motors and variable speed drives, and welding equipment.

When did the UK’s right to repair regulations take effect?

1 July 2021.

If my boiler isn’t covered by right to repair rules, do I have any protection at all?

Yes, separately: the manufacturer’s guarantee, any extended warranty, and Consumer Rights Act remedies for faulty goods all continue to apply regardless of the Ecodesign spare parts gap.

Bottom line

The UK’s right to repair rules, in force since 1 July 2021, legally require manufacturers of products like washing machines, dishwashers and fridges to keep spare parts available for years after a model is discontinued, but boilers and other space heaters are explicitly outside that scope. A boiler owner still has the manufacturer’s guarantee, any extended warranty and Consumer Rights Act remedies, just not the specific statutory spare-parts guarantee that covers other appliance categories. This is general information, not advice on a specific product; a manufacturer can confirm its own spare parts policy for a particular boiler model.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 22 September 2026:

• legislation.gov.uk, “The Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Amendment) Regulations 2021”

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Best Boiler Deals is an independent guide. We may earn a fee from some links; this never affects what we write. This article is general information, not regulated advice on any specific installation — always confirm the details with a Gas Safe registered engineer.