🔧 Repair or Replace?

The throwaway economy wants you to bin it and buy another. This decider weighs the three things that actually matter — cost per useful year, embodied carbon and remaining life — and tells you honestly: repair it, replace it, or too close to call. Everything runs on this device; nothing is sent anywhere.

What is it?

Age (years)

Quote to repair (£)

Repair buys (years more)

Replacement price (£)

Replacement lasts (years)

Old unit energy (kWh/yr)

New unit energy (kWh/yr)

Your energy price (£/kWh)

Making a new one emits (kg CO₂e)

Grid carbon (kg CO₂/kWh)

Method: money compared as £ per useful year (repair + running costs ÷ years bought, vs price + running ÷ lifespan), plus the tradesperson's 50% rule. Carbon compares a repair (parts ≈ 3% of a new unit's footprint + ~5 kg for the engineer's van) against making a whole new one plus its running emissions. Embodied-carbon presets are rough mid-points of published lifecycle studies and vary by model; grid intensity defaults to ~0.20 kg CO₂/kWh (UK, 2025) — adjust both above. Estimates for information only, not financial or environmental advice. Last reviewed: 2026-09-23.