Forum Topic

EU outlaw powerful vacuum cleaners.

From September 1, companies will be unable to manufacture or import any vacuums with motors above 1,600 watts under rules designed to boost energy efficiency and tackle climate change.My vacuum is 2000 watts, so if I need a new motor, I guess I will be compelled to buy an inferior type or a less powerful appliance.  Who gives these faceless bureaucrats the right to decide the power of my/others vacuum cleaners?A less powerful cleaner takes longer to do the job, so therefore uses more energy.  Could this be a ploy to boost the profits of the energy companies in foreign hands?Should we get out of the EU?  Discuss.

Nikki Howard ● 4406d19 Comments

Of course we should pull out of the E.U. The reason three of the four main political parties in this country want to stay in the union is so they can't be held responsible for the majority of the laws they implement as most of them are dictated by Europe.Maximum deniability, minimum or zero accountability.We are being strong armed into wasting billions of pounds on HS2 whilst vital services are being cut.We need faster ambulances to the hospital,not faster trains up northThis nation is being rapidly and insidiously dismantled and sold off to foreign interests and our right to free speech is being eroded by political crrectness.The only answer for any rational,free thinking person is to vote U.K.I.P. next may and put an end to this insanity

Bob Little ● 4406d

It should increase the value of second hand vacuum cleaners and hopefully more will be maintained and serviced rather than just dumped because the bag needs emptying or some such simple solution.For too long we have been buying things because they were cheap and less expensive than repairing.  We haven't valued the quality of a product.Interestingly there are repair or restart sessions or parties starting up where you can get help to repair electrical and electronic items or more.  People are learning how to bypass some of the built in obsolescence.http://www.therubbishdiet.org.uk/harrows-first-restart-party/As you say it is quite likely that you will use just as much if not more electricity spending more time with a lower powered machine.

Philippa Bond ● 4406d

Blow me

David P Archer ● 4405d

Useless EU law sucks.

Gerry Tan ● 4405d

A bit like using watts to measure how bright a light is, the measure is wrong (watts) or the job being performed (cleaning).Some manufacturers appear to have made the cleaners clean better by forcing more air through an inefficient system (filters and previously sucked in dust) - by consuming more electricity.When nearly all lights used the same technology then using the energy consumed was a pretty good indicator of high bright they were - when technology changed then we had the new lights being quoted as having light equivalent to an old 60W light bulb but using only 15W (or whatever).The complaint from us evening book readers was that the light was not as good for reading and we (I) didn't really care that it was saving 2p per month or a few micrograms of CO2 output somewhere.That appears to be the problem here - although I do admit to be writing as a largely non-practising user.However, if manufacturers have become lazy and simply boosted the energy consumed rather than improve the technology then this legislation may well have made them rethink.It should not be a surprise that Dyson supported the ban on high energy consumption machines - none of theirs exceeds 1600W.Along with the restriction on electricity consumed comes a set of grades for how well the machines perform. Perhaps it would have been better to have the grading system fully working - including independent verification to see if that could drive customers to choose more efficient machines.If the tests that provide the grades do not include real-world situation like people tend to remove bags / cylinders when nearly full rather than after every use then they will be nearly useless.For background reading in what the full legislation says and what the member states and some other interested bodies have given as feedback over  the many years that this legislation has been going through the system is athttp://www.eceee.org/ecodesign/products/vacuum_cleaners

Paul Webster ● 4405d

And not one poster seems to have considered the fact that we all need to reduce our energy consumption.  Or is that just green crap?  It may seem like a small thing, but if everyone reduced their energy consumption a fraction, the overall savings would be immense and I don't think a 200W reduction in my Miele's top power is going to make that much difference.  I tried it on a lower setting, and it works just as well.  Every little helps.

Anne Brown ● 4405d

Vote U.K.I.P. and fill the political vacuum

Bob Little ● 4405d

Absolutely.  Saying we'll have to spend longer hoovering with a lower powered cleaner totally misses the point.  Dyson revolutionised vacuum cleaners by making them more efficient.  Just as a modern car is much cleaner than one from the 1970s with the same sized engine.A cap on power is a good thing.  It's only that the running cost difference between an efficient hoover and an inefficient one is negligible that people moan.  Humanity needs rules, regulations, constraints and limits to use its ingenuity, otherwise we just resort to laziness / greed and make inefficient hoovers, dodgy banks, polluting cars and so on.

Ben Smith ● 4405d

Oh well, back to the old Goblin, the type granny used to use.

Nikki Howard ● 4405d

We've still got a carpet sweeper.  It works well.  I can't think why we ever thought that the electric things were so wonderful except for blocking out other sounds.

Philippa Bond ● 4404d

We've still got a carpet sweeperCould that be a lot of BOSH, or a BISSELL in the wind!!!!

Nikki Howard ● 4404d

HS2 has enthusiasts and sceptics across the main parties, in my experience, but only the more deranged UKIP mouth-frothers see a Euro conspiracy to compel us to build it. The EU does have agreed construction standards for high speed rail networks so that trains can run easily across national borders ("interoperability" is the snappy term), but that's as far as it goes.Interestingly, one party in the 2010 election had exciting plans for rail transport, wanting to:"Invest in three new 200mph plus high-speed rail lines including a new line between London and Newcastle with a spur to Manchester, a London-Bristol-Exeter line and a linking route via Birmingham."Anyone guess it was UKIP? Well, it was. Perhaps they're in on the conspiracy as well...

Steve Donnelly ● 4402d

There are some great bargin vacuums out there right now as retailers unload their 1600+ stock before the 1st.  My previous vacuum blew up last week so perfect timing!

Paul Scullion ● 4401d

I can't believe that only ONE poster has brought up the environmental benefits of this law. Won't someone do the maths? What's 250+M households using between 200-400 W less electricity on a chore they do at least once a week over the next decade?THAT'S A LOT OF SAVED POWER PEOPLE!So how many climate change deniers have we got in W3?

Malcolm Pacey ● 4400d

After DIY sawdust killed my mid-range vacuum cleaner unexpectedly a few years ago, I bought a cheapy from PoundStretcher as a replacement. £29.99, no frills, 900 Watts. It sounded like Concorde taking off, but it sucked up dust. It conked out after only a couple of years. I vowed to replace it with a 'proper' vacuum cleaner, but with so many brands and models on sale, I was taking weeks to decide. I still had the spare filters and parts left over from the cheapy, so I ended up buying the same model again.  This one will be my last one though (especially if The Oaks shuts for the re-build). At 900 watts, I'm confident the suction isn't quite strong enough to effect climate change.

Fred Bray ● 4400d

"So how many climate change deniers have we got in W3?"Well, given the UKIP following, I would say a disappointingly high number!

Ben Smith ● 4400d

Apparently the single measure vthat will really impact on energy consumption in the home is to locate the electric meter in a very visble spot so that we can see energy consumption especially if it is translated into £ and pence.

Kim Rugg ● 4400d

Indeed, Kim, and thanks, Fred!After buying a new, 1600 w plus hoover every couple of years because they failed *somehow*, two years ago I grabbed a bargain, 34.99 at Lidl. It's an ugly black and yellow thing that resembles a Henry shapewise, it makes a racket for sure, but it is a hell of a sucker. Despite the 1100 w max, I get my hoovering done in no time these days (and pet fur is an issue in this house), it is easy to empty/clean, and it doesn't loose suction even if it is almost full. Best buy ever as far as I am concerned! Maybe we have to compromise - noisier but more energy efficient - I know what I would go for....

Urs Esser ● 4399d

We got rid of our carpet in time it would seem. Just a mop and bucket and a bit of elbow grease in this household.

Kim Rugg ● 4399d