EU bans sale of powerful vacuums

IF YOU are thinking of buying a new vacuum cleaner, you may want to hurry.

From Monday, the sale of machines with motors more powerful than 1,600 watts will be banned under new EU rules.

The maximum wattage will be further lowered to 900 in 2017, as officials seek to reduce energy consumption across Europe.

In France, vacuum cleaners with motors of 1,600 watts or more currently make up about 75% of the market, while UK consumer group Which? said that five of its seven Best Buy models since January 2013 had motors exceeding 1,600 watts, and on average, cleaners boast an average of 1,800 watts.

But Dimitri Peucelle, director of Dyson France, said: “The number of watts is a misleading indicator, which indicates the power of the device, but not its suction power.”

Defending the changes last year, European Commission spokesman Marlene Holzner wrote: “The amount of wattage does not automatically indicate how well a vacuum cleaner will clean.

“The amount of wattage indicates how much electrical power is used by the engine.

“The important question is: How efficient is this electrical power translated into picking-up dust?”

Under the new rules, vacuum cleaners will be given a rating from A to G based on their performance on hard floors, carpets, and how much dust is emitted during operation.

Photo: Näystin