Norfolk residents encouraged to register their electrical appliances to keep their homes safe
We all rely hugely on our fridges, washing machines and microwaves for keeping our busy lives on track, but would your appliance manufacturer know which machines you have and where to find you if a fault came to light with your model?
The answer is 'no' for some 100 million appliances in the UK, according to recent research. But this could all be remedied by people taking a few minutes to register their appliances.
This Register My Appliance Week (17 to 21 January) Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service is urging residents to register their electrical appliances so they can be notified if a free safety repair is ever needed.
Cllr Margaret Dewsbury, Cabinet member for Communities and Partnerships at Norfolk County Council said: "As we all aim to keep our appliances running efficiently for many years, maintenance and registration of machines becomes increasingly important.
"Whether we found the appliances in our homes when we moved in, inherited them from family or simply installed and forgot about them. Registration can be done easily - even in these circumstances - by going to www.registermyappliance.org.uk (opens new window) without a receipt or knowing exactly when the appliance was first bought.
"This simple measure could keep you and your family safe from the danger of electrical fires, so please consider registering today."
Greg Preston, Head of Prevention and Protection at Norfolk Fire and Rescue said: "We attended 70 appliances related fires in 2021, and these kinds of blaze can be especially dangerous as we all have so many electronic devices in our homes.
"The potential for a fire is great but should anything go wrong we are here to help. Our crews will always get to a fire as quickly as possible and do all we can to make your home safe after a fire has been fought. But by registering your appliances you could prevent the fire happening in the first place.
"Registering your electrical appliances is a great way to keep your home safe. Many household electrical appliances have the potential to go wrong and become a fire hazard, so please register your appliances online to keep updated with safety information."
While the recent increase in online purchasing reportedly as high as 70% and the advent of smart appliances will all help to improve traceability, according to government estimates we are now running more than 212 million essential appliances to cook, wash clothes and dishes, clean floors and store our food. Yet official research also found that 49% of us have never registered a product, potentially leaving some 100 million large and mid-sized older machines untraceable.
Register My Appliance (opens new window) improves ownership data by making it quicker and easier for householders to register old and new appliances. Offering access to more than 60 of the nation's leading brands, the vast majority of manufacturers on the site welcome registration of products up to 12 years old. All you need to do is provide your name, address and the product details and you're registered. By registering, you are more easily able to find out if a product has a manufacturing fault or be alerted to product re-calls. Some faults are not spotted until years after a product's launch, so, registering means you can find out as soon as the manufacturer issues any safety guidance, and this could save your life.
Faulty electrical products are a major cause of fires across the country and in Norfolk we attended 70 electrical appliance fires in the last year alone. The joint highest causes of appliance fires in Norfolk for 2021 were tumble dryers and faulty plugs, so take extra care when using these items in your home.