In short: The EU Right to Repair Directive (EU) 2024/1799 applies in EU countries from 31 July 2026. It obliges manufacturers to offer repair for a defined list of products, such as washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, vacuum cleaners and smartphones. Boilers, heat pumps and air conditioners are not on that list as of October 2026. Two parts of the directive do help you with any product you buy, including heating appliances: if you choose repair instead of replacement under the legal guarantee, the guarantee is extended by 12 months, and a European online repair platform will help you find repairers. For heating systems, your practical right to repair rests on something simpler: original spare parts that can be ordered by the manufacturer's part number.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Based on Directive (EU) 2024/1799 on common rules promoting the repair of goods (EUR-Lex) and Directive (EU) 2019/771 on the sale of goods. Each EU country transposes the directive into its own law; details such as national repair incentives differ.
What the Right to Repair Directive does
The directive was adopted in June 2024. EU countries had to transpose it by 31 July 2026 and apply the new rules from that date. Its aim is to make repair a realistic alternative to replacement, both during and after the legal guarantee. It has five main elements:
- Obligation to repair for listed products: manufacturers of products covered by EU repairability requirements (listed in Annex II of the directive) must repair them after the legal guarantee at a reasonable price, within a reasonable time.
- Spare parts and no blocking techniques: for those products, manufacturers must make spare parts available at a reasonable price and may not use hardware or software techniques that obstruct independent repair.
- Longer guarantee when you choose repair: under the amended sales rules, if a product is faulty during the legal guarantee and you choose repair rather than replacement, the seller's liability is extended by 12 months.
- European Repair Information Form: repairers can use a standard form that sets out the price and conditions of a repair, so you can compare offers.
- European online repair platform: a platform where consumers can find repairers, refurbished goods and sellers of second-hand products in their area.
Which products are covered, and why heating is not (yet)
The manufacturer's obligation to repair applies only to the product groups in Annex II: household washing machines and washer-dryers, dishwashers, refrigerating appliances, electronic displays, welding equipment, vacuum cleaners, servers and data storage products, mobile phones, cordless phones and tablets, tumble dryers, and batteries for light means of transport. The list is linked to products that already have repairability requirements under EU ecodesign law, and it can be extended as new requirements are adopted.
Boilers, heat pumps, water heaters and air conditioners do not appear on the list as of October 2026. The EU ecodesign rules for space heaters (Regulation (EU) No 813/2013) currently set efficiency and emission limits but no binding spare-parts period for consumers. So for a boiler or heat pump there is no EU-wide right to have the manufacturer repair it after the guarantee.
The 12-month guarantee extension, however, applies to all consumer goods sold, including a new boiler, heat pump or air conditioner, as long as you choose repair when a defect appears within the legal guarantee period.
Repair or replace: how to decide for a heating appliance
Without a legal obligation on manufacturers, the decision comes down to age, part availability and cost:
- Age: gas boilers typically last around 15 years, heat pumps and air conditioners often similar or longer with good maintenance. A young appliance is almost always worth repairing.
- Part availability: manufacturers usually supply parts for many years after a model goes out of production, but not indefinitely. Search by the manufacturer's part number in our spare parts catalogue to see price and availability before you decide. How to find the number is explained in Find the right part and Read your boiler's rating plate.
- Cost: as a rule of thumb, repair while the repair costs clearly less than about 40 % of a comparable new system and the appliance is not near the end of its life. See Repair or replace your boiler for worked examples.
- Policy context: subsidies for new stand-alone fossil boilers have ended EU-wide, and a carbon price on heating fuels follows from 2028. That can tip the balance for a very old gas boiler; see EU heating rules and ETS2 and heating costs. For a heat pump or air conditioner, new refrigerant rules do not affect repairs to existing units; see F-gas rules.
Repairs that are usually worth it
| Symptom | Common part |
|---|---|
| Radiators stay cold, pump hums | Circulation pump |
| No hot water, heating works | Diverter valve |
| No ignition, lockout code | Ignition electrode, ignition control board |
| Pressure keeps dropping | Expansion vessel, pressure gauge |
| Fan or sensor error code | Fan, sensor |
| Condensate leaking | Condensate trap |
Error codes by brand are explained in our error code guide. Work on gas-carrying parts, combustion settings, flues and refrigerant circuits is for a qualified installer in every EU country. Instalpunt supplies the parts; we do not carry out repairs or installations.
Your rights when you buy a part
When you buy a spare part as a consumer in the EU, the normal consumer rights apply: a legal guarantee of at least two years for defects, and, for online purchases, a 14-day right of withdrawal under the conditions in our returns policy. Order by the manufacturer's part number to be sure you get the part your appliance needs.
Parts for Vaillant, Bosch, Viessmann, Remeha, Ferroli, Daikin and many other brands are on the brand pages.
Frequently asked questions
Does the EU right to repair cover boilers and heat pumps?
Not the manufacturer's obligation to repair: as of October 2026 that applies only to the products in Annex II of Directive (EU) 2024/1799, such as washing machines, fridges and smartphones. The 12-month guarantee extension when you choose repair applies to all consumer goods, including heating appliances.
When does the Right to Repair Directive apply?
EU countries had to transpose it into national law by 31 July 2026 and apply the rules from that date.
Does choosing repair extend my guarantee?
Yes. If a product is faulty within the legal guarantee and you choose repair instead of replacement, the seller's liability is extended by 12 months under the amended EU sales rules.
Are manufacturers obliged to supply boiler parts?
There is no EU-wide obligation for boiler spare parts as of October 2026. In practice, manufacturers supply parts for many years after production ends; availability for a specific model can be checked by part number.
Can I repair my own boiler?
Simple non-gas parts such as filters, condensate traps, pressure gauges or thermostats are often within reach of a handy homeowner. Work on gas-carrying parts, combustion and flues must be done by a qualified installer, and in most EU countries this is a legal requirement.
Sources
- Directive (EU) 2024/1799 on common rules promoting the repair of goods, EUR-Lex: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Directive (EU) 2019/771 on contracts for the sale of goods, EUR-Lex: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 813/2013 (ecodesign, space heaters): eur-lex.europa.eu