Vacuum cleaners to be further enfeebled from Sept 2017

coffeehound

Brexit will come too late to avoid this

The new vacuum cleaner energy label, set to come into effect on 1 September 2017, will reduce the maximum wattage from 1,600 to 900 watts for any vacuum cleaner manufactured or sold in the EU.

Read more: http://www.which.co.uk/news/2017/05/new-eu-vacuum-cleaner-energy-label-will-cut-power-by-almost-half/ - Which?

So buy a more powerful vacuum cleaner soon, or face the murky black market in illicit hoovers after September.

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Grenage

Wattage is just a ridiculous number contest, you can have a perfectly good vacuum at 900W.

It might cut the power consumption by half. Much like the 2014 hoover apocalypse that had no impact on cleaning abilities.

coffeehound

Grenage wrote: »

Wattage is just a ridiculous number contest, you can have a perfectly good vacuum at 900W.

It might cut the power consumption by half. Much like the 2014 hoover apocalypse that had no impact on cleaning abilities.

Do we know beyond doubt that halving the power consumption does not affect cleaning capability? Seems a bold claim.

martinsurrey

coffeehound wrote: »

Do we know beyond doubt that halving the power consumption does not affect cleaning capability? Seems a bold claim.

I could strap a hoover to the bonnet of my car, it would then be a 280 horse power hoover, wouldn't improve its ability to suck things up though.

hoovers CAN be designed with great sucking well under 900w

Example hoover 820w

(thats an A class hoover across the board, under £100 and under 900w)

For a long time though people have thought "more power = better cleaning" which is wrong, but suppliers knew this so designed the most power hungry moter they could, a lot of the high power cleaners just create a lot of noise and heat, without actually doing much cleaning.

this is a good step forward.

Cisco001

I got a new vaccum cleaner last year and use only 850W.
It clean up well when compare to my old 2000W one.

Nothing wrong being efficient. All you need to check is the suction.

However, I carious to know how test being carried out in future after the court rule with dyson

LutonGirl

Enfeebled - what a great word. Not heard it in ages. Will try to use it in more sentences today.

lstar337

Our Henry is only 600W and it sucks the hell out of everything!

Our previous vacuum was 2000W and fairly hopeless.

Higher Watts = better suction was invented to sell vacuum cleaners with little to no extra design or development. Makes it easier to sell to the masses.

Jackmydad

LutonGirl wrote: »

Enfeebled - what a great word. Not heard it in ages. Will try to use it in more sentences today.

"Every time I hear about more silly rules dreamed up by the EU then I feel enfeebled"

Is there really nothing more important to worry about than the power of vacuum cleaners?
Although I'd agree with the comments about proper design being the most important thing.
It seems that any governmental organisation has to have a "pointless rules" department.

coffeehound

Speculating, I wonder if the enfeeblement will reduce the overall useability and endurance of hoovers. E.g. they might work acceptably when new with clean filters, intact seals, clear hoses and pipes, uncontaminated motor and fan, etc.

But in use the filters will progressively block, the hoses will constrict, seals will leak, the fan's aerodynamic efficiency will reduce, and there will be no power in reserve to keep it running acceptably.

So perhaps they'll need diligent frequent maintenance (which in many cases they won't get) to continue to function, or they'll burn out earlier and prematurely end up in landfill. If that was the case, has the EU considered the overall carbon footprint? The mandatory compact fluorescent lightbulb policy was a similarly short-sighted resulting in huge numbers of mercury-containing bulbs ending up in landfill.

(Or is it just more important to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian fossil fuel..)

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System

Grenage wrote: »

Wattage is just a ridiculous number contest, you can have a perfectly good vacuum at 900W.

Yes but is it good at getting up dog hairs off carpet? Mines on its last legs but isnt dead yet and i'm hoping it will last a bit longer.

Norman_Castle

Judi wrote: »

Yes but is it good at getting up dog hairs off carpet? Mines on its last legs but isnt dead yet and i'm hoping it will last a bit longer.

A rotating brush will get hair off a carpet irrespective of the suction power.