EU energy-saving rules cut power of vacuum cleaners

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Sir James Dyson is not happy...

I don't understand why he's not happy. The most powerful Dyson on the UK market is rated 1200w, so he already fits in with the new legislation and with all the R&D put into refining the cyclone with each model, I'm sure Dyson will be one of the few brands who manage to produce cleaners with high suction and low wattage. The current Ball cylinders with the digital motors are, I believe, 1050w and the suction really packs a punch on those.

As I've said before, I think the new legislation is great. I'm not an eco-geek by any means, but I don't like to be wasteful. Hopefully, these god-awful cheap, chinese made 2200w cleaners will be a thing of the past very soon.

It seems to me that these ridiculously powerful motors are a way for lazy vacuum cleaner manufacturers to get around putting any cash behind their product. Look at the Hoover Purepower, for example. It's been on sale since 1997 and the motor wattage has increased from 1200w to 2200w, but with no other changes to the cleaner. Hoover have just kept increasing the motor wattage to keep the machine in good competition. Can't Hoover think of other ways of increasing suction other than the motor watts? Look at the old Electrolux Twin Turbo's - Lux increased the suction of the cleaner by adding an additional fan to the motor, generating greater airflow.

And of course, we all know that the suction power of a cleaner is not always a result of a more powerful motor. My 700w Panasonic MC-E47 has way more suction power than my Mum's old 1800w Electrolux. There are lots of other factors to consider such as:

- how well sealed is the cleaner? Is it losing suction anywhere meaning hose suction at the cleaner head is diminished?
- how many twists and turns are there in the body of the machine? Does the suction have "further to travel" as a result?
- How good is the filtration? Do the filters need maintaining regularly to keep airflow high?
- How effective is the floorhead/brushroll? Is it designed for maximum efficiency? Hoover Junior's and Electrolux 500 series cleaners gave grey pick up with only a 300w and 500w motor respectively, largely due to the excellent quality brushroll/beater design

Lets hope that these lazy manufacturers come up with some new, interesting ways of cleaning with lower wattage motors.
 
I'm all for it - but - only when ALL appliances for the home start to get properly fitted lower motors without having to pay through the nose for it.

At the same time, all brands will have to consider lowering power with cylinder vacuums too. Miele and SEBO have high powers in their current cylinder vacs because the market demands it - one reason to why SEBO doesn't sell their K1 Eco is simply because sales of their "Cappuccino K1" wasn't a big success and owners demanded higher powered models. A new K1 Eco may well appear in the UK soon, though.

As the owner of a fairly old and battered SEBO C2.1, the 1500 watt maximum is enough for me to use compared to a lot of other vacuums and when you consider how old that machine is alongside SEBO's uprights at 1300 watts max, you can see that it is possible to manufacture something low-powered both in the sledge cylinder vac and upright family.

I fished out my old Miele 2004 brochure last night - the lower base models all had 1600 watts, which begs the question to why Miele feel the need to raise the power - but its not the fault of Miele, or other brands, but rather what the market has demanded and what buyers are purchasing.

High power will always rule buyers mind when it comes to a vacuum cleaner. When this new law comes into play, it will be interesting to see how brands react.
 
Just like when they phased out the 100W lightbulbs and people went out and bought boxes of the things - I bet people go out ahead of the ban and buy several high wattage vacs to last them a good few years to get round the ban.


Meanwhile - Kirby carry on regardless as their vacs are already lower rated than what 900W - and they still do an excellent job.


I feel we may go back to more dirty fan bagged models in due course, and that's why Dyson is chucking his teddies out of his pram.
 
Like sebo_fan says, the market DEMANDS high wattages, the manufacturer is not at fault.

Imagine two Hoover Purpowers on sale in a shop, side by side for exact the same price. One from 1997 & the other from 2013. The 1997 version is 1200w & the 2013 version is 2100 - 2200w. Despite the 1997 version being better built & won't overheat or cut out, consumers would go for the 2100 - 2200w 2013 version simply because it says '2200w' on the cleaner head.

This makes me laugh:

Linda Dykes, a professional cleaner who has appeared on the Channel 4 programme Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, told the paper: "The more powerful the hoover is, the greater the suction.

Um no, it is also based on design, much like Turbo500 has said.

“People who don't know much about vacuums don't think the wattage is important, but people that know about them do."
 
A few points

First of all, the woman mentioned is a fool to herself making a comment like that, as she was seen on TV using a Henry as part of the service she offers. Anyone who freely contradicts themseleves in the media like that deserves to have no notice taken of her.

Secondly, consumers may lust after high wattages for vacuum cleaners, but that is only because of a poor understanding of how they work. I very, very much doubt that many people have the money and the storage space to stock-up on new cleaners, and once energy rating labels are fitted, this should prove to a customer exactly what is what.

I cannot see dirty-fan cleaners ever coming back into fashion, on several accounts. The first is the difficulty in providing good filtration. The second is because the suction power on the tools will be as miniscule as ever. Thirdly, they are too problematic for a society who has spent the last 20 years vacuuming up anything and everything in a clean-fan cleaner.

Turbo500, I am so pleased to read you are in agreement with what I have said before, that as a manufacturer of relatively low-wattage vacuum cleaners, one would be forgiven for assuming James Dyson would be proudly flying the flag on this matter.

We also need to consider that the issue is not so much about vacuum cleaner wattages as it is about people not liking the fact that Brussels is having a say in our country. Add to this also those who like to jump on every passing band-wagon who probably have no thoughts on any of it but want to be seen to be hating Brussels because they think it makes them sound clever.
 
Yes, I posted this a while ago, with a strong hint of sarcasm which perhaps isn't apparent on a forum!
I think it's a great idea, it's about time we had efficient vacuums like the good old days, not the modern badly designed rubbish.
Totally agree with James, and as for that bint from the obsessive cleaners, she needs to find a new day job.

Apparently we think wattage is important? Do we? I don't think so, and I tell my customers the same, that they're not getting something more powerful, but a quicker way to a sky high electric bill.

So if a vacuum runs at 2200 watts then that's more than a Dyson Am H&C. He has a good point.
 
OR could it be the fact that in the UK at least, not many Dyson appliances have the DDM motor fitted as opposed to the Japanese market? Is this the reason why Dyson would be up in arms?


 


Benny - in your response to your post - current energy labels are confusing to many buyers for a whole lot of different appliances from washing machines to fridge freezers. You can see how confused they are simply by reading a lot of UK based forums. I don't think energy labels will naturally "illustrate" the truth in everything when they are clipped to vacuums.


 


Thus a lot of buyers plump for appliances with "added features," that then add on "more power" to different kinds of appliances. Dishwashers for example - not many will go for Bosch because of the expensive prices and a promise of using less water for economical running costs, especially if you pay for water charges. Instead buyers will go for the features, where BEKO rule the roost for more wash programs than the cheapest Bosch full size dishwasher.


 


IMHO the energy labels don't go far enough to explain each model. 


 


 
 
Let's face it....

The most efficient vacuum cleaners are of the "Direct Air" type like the Sanitaire or the Kirby. Case in Point: My Kirby Sentria draws only 840 watts and it will out clean any 1800 watt Bypass Air machine I know of while still filtering the air down to .1 micron with the new Kirby HEPA bags which can be had for only $3 a piece on ebay.. So if you're worried about wattage restrictions on vacuum cleaners, then a Direct Air machine is the only way to go!
 
I won't deny the efficiency of direct-air machines, and heck, Royals and Kirbys even have good hose suction (at the cost of rather cumbersome tools) .

That said - canisters can manage good performance on less than 900W, too. Look at some of the older Filter Queen, TriStar or Silver King machines. Though, I wonder if we'll see a move to larger-diameter hoses to maintain high airflow?
 
OK, just a bit of perspective on energy use:
Miele heatpump dryer: 1.8kwh per cycle
Miele washing machine: 1.33kwh per cycle
Miele dishwasher: 0.7kwh per cycle
Miele fridge freezer: 1.05kwh per day
Bodum Kettle: 2200kwh
Dyson air multiplier: 2kwh

Wait for it:
Hoover hurricane power: 2300kwh
Dyson dc50: 0.7kwh


So really whoever thinks higher motor power is better must be bonkers, if that hoover is used for half an hour, it's using more electricity than a bloody tumble dryer!
 
That's what most people don't realise Adamthemieleman. I wish I had someone like you in my nearest Curry's store. In mine they pressure you to either buy a Dyson or a high wattage vacuum, such as AEG or a Hoover Purepower / Hurricane.
 
Again-this has been brought up before-Why is there all of this hoopla about the power drawn by vacuums-for most people a vacuum is only used for not more than an hour or so per week.The power drawn in this case is not relevent.Now if someone used it everyday-maybe.Its-again let the CUSTOMER decide on what power his vacuum uses-he's paying the power bill.And it boils down to another thing-you can only force so much air thru a vac hose or nozzle-then the size of the motor no longer matters.Its like with a film projector-you can only force so much light thru the film gate no matter what the wattage of the lamphouse is.
 

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