Repair instead of replace: municipalities focus on conserving resources
It has now been over ten years since Wiltz became the first municipality in Luxembourg to introduce financial assistance for repairs to household appliances (“repair bonus”). The Oekozenter Pafendall, the Mouvement Ecologique and O ekotopten.lu have strongly advocated for this important instrument with the state and other municipalities.
Since then, numerous municipalities have followed suit, either individually or as part of a syndicate.
In some municipalities, this subsidy has replaced previous subsidies for the purchase of energy-efficient household appliances, while in others it supplements them. When the municipality of Schengen also introduces a repair subsidy for its residents on 1 January 2026, the number of participating municipalities will rise to 43. They are all sending a clear message against electronic waste and the waste of resources.
Conserving resources, saving energy – or both?
The range of subsidies varies significantly from municipality to municipality. Some only support the repair of appliances that meet the same criteria as those that would receive a subsidy for a new purchase. In other words, they set the requirements quite high. Others, on the other hand, only subsidise repairs with far fewer criteria.
Regardless of this, repairs are particularly worthwhile for devices with a high “ecological backpack”. In other words, those that contain valuable and sometimes critical raw materials. In these cases, the resource input and, where applicable, the environmental impact of production are far more problematic (e.g. IT devices) than the energy consumption during use (e.g. even if they are only used occasionally) such as lawnmowers .
All these arguments play a role in deciding whether a device should be repaired or replaced with a new one with lower energy consumption.
Therefore, the more electronics and critical materials an appliance contains, the more sensible it is to repair it.
Different amounts and focus of the “repair bonus” depending on the municipality
The subsidy amount for repairs varies depending on the municipality or municipal association and ranges from 50% to 100% of the repair costs with amounts between £70 and a maximum of £250. Most municipalities approve up to £200 per repair and household within a certain period.
The type of appliances subsidised also varies: Most municipalities support the repair of typical household appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers. Only a few support repairs outside this standard list.
There are currently no government recommendations for the design of the repair bonus, nor is there a national bonus. This raises the question of whether it would not be necessary to introduce a corresponding subsidy system at the national level in the future, as has already been implemented in Austria, France and Germany at the level of individual federal states.
Striking a balance with Oekotopten.lu
Similar to Oekotopten’s product criteria for energy-efficient appliances, some municipalities follow the repair guide published by Oekoptopten.lu. For example, the municipality of Bartringen has adopted the recommendation not to subsidise repairs to appliances manufactured before 2006 – a measure designed to prevent appliances containing harmful and toxic substances that are now banned from being put back into service.
The guide was created at the request of several municipalities that wanted to provide targeted support and needed a set of criteria that would strike a balance between subsidising energy-efficient appliances and environmentally responsible repairs.
The list of which municipalities subsidise the repair of which appliances can be found in the “Municipal subsidies – household appliances & repairs” section on Oekotopten.lu.
Conclusion: Ecologically responsible repairs are a win for the climate and resources
The increasing participation shows that repairs have become an integral part of sustainable local policy in a municipal context. Repairs offer an ecologically sensible means of reducing electronic waste and decreasing the use of non-renewable raw materials.
Municipal grants for household appliances and repairs
Translated by deepl.com
December 4th 2025