Got into an argument about this with a buddy. Is it greener to repair computers or to replace them with energy-efficient models?

3 comments

3 Comments

Couldn't agree more with @hugo441 here. I kept my old laptop running for eight years by swapping out the battery and adding more RAM. That meant one less computer in a landfill and no new resources spent on making a whole new machine. Even if newer models use less power, the making of them has a huge hidden cost.

hugo4411mo ago

Honestly, this fits the whole trend of pushing shiny new eco-products. Tbh, fixing what you have almost always creates less trash overall.

ryan_sanchez20d ago

Totally get where you're coming from, but that math only works if the old machine isn't a total power hog. My ancient desktop was a space heater that doubled my electric bill, lol. The carbon cost of making a new efficient model got paid back in like two years of lower energy use. Sometimes you gotta run the numbers for your specific gear.