Habeas Domus Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Ten days left to vacuum up a powerful cleaner The EU says most vacuum cleaners waste too much energy. Anyone wanting to buy a powerful vacuum cleaner has only 10 days left to be certain of getting one - following new EU rules that come in next month. From 1 September, companies in the EU will be banned from making or importing vacuum cleaners above 1600 watts. The consumer organisation Which? says many of the models involved were rated as "best buys" by its researchers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28878432 Another genius idea from the EU (or more likely some lobby group / vested interest) So we all have less powerful hoovers and spend twice as long cleaning each room, thats not actually going to save any power is it? (I have been checking the online websites and top of the range hoovers are all going out of stock very quickly - people are buying hoovers they don't need and storing them in the attic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renting til I die Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I read this today and this is ******'s. I need a new hoover as well! I wish I knew about this earlier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little fish Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 sucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blod Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Yeah, but think of all the factories in China that'll now be able to charge more for less as the EU will be a special market. I wonder how much extra will the EU spec vacs cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patfig Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 take twice as long "hovering" with a half powered machine, brilliant, well done EU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyrichie Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 im all for this, love giving people my money to tell me what I can buy, why should I think when I can subcontract it out to others and pay them more than I could dream of? Great Britain just got a whole lot greater, soon war with Russia and Eurasia and I can sleep easy knowing my goderment is protecting me from my own free will and freedom through the use of force, intimidation and violence. first they came for the light bulbs, then they came for the hoovers, now they are coming for my kettle and tea bags, pity they already took the mugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliegog Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 what about the pet hairs that are now going to linger as they need a 'powerful' vacuum - have two vax's 2000 watts - will treasure them like gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patfig Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 will it be illegal to sell them second hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 what about the pet hairs that are now going to linger as they need a 'powerful' vacuum - have two vax's 2000 watts - will treasure them like gold. Shave your pets instead. Problem solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinAndPlatonic Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 It will all go underground. You will never stop people using 2000w vacuum cleaners. Better to make it legal and steer people away from this degrading habit. It destroys communities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oracle Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 (edited) Shave your pets instead. Problem solved. oh what a typically "viz" solution!! expect EU directive on pet hair shortly-probably involves taking your pet for a 6 monthly MOT at EU approved inspector with a pair of calipers, measuring the hair for maximum "tread",sort of like tyres in reverse! Edited August 25, 2014 by oracle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 It will all go underground. You will never stop people using 2000w vacuum cleaners. Better to make it legal and steer people away from this degrading habit. It destroys communities.Like light bulbs, will "industrial/heavy duty" items be exempt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveinHope Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 (edited) This is just the initial suck up I think that stage II of the EU legislation is to cut the power to a max of 900W Edited August 25, 2014 by LiveinHope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
campervanman Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Great idea. It will encourage the development of more efficient machines that use less energy and at the same time get fat UK women a bit less fat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zugzwang Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 The Vacuum Cleaner Police sounds something Philip K. Dick could have written. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormymonday_2011 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 (edited) Great idea. It will encourage the development of more efficient machines that use less energy and at the same time get fat UK women a bit less fat.My Mum has a vintage 1970s Hoover Constellation vacuum in her loft that once belonged to my grand mother. Praised at the time for its 'sheer power' it has a mighty 600 watt engine. Most vacuums of that era pulled far less juice from the wall. How did we ever survive back then. Edited August 25, 2014 by stormymonday_2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ologhai Jones Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 The Vacuum Cleaner Police sounds something Philip K. Dick could have written. Although I bet the movie would've been called something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habeas Domus Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 My Mum has a vintage 1970s Hoover Constellation vacuum in her loft that once belonged to my grand mother. Praised at the time for its 'sheer power' it has a mighty 600 watt engine. Most vacuums of that era pulled far less juice from the wall. How did we ever survive back then. Old cleaners were rubbish, but back then a lot of people didnt have very many carpets/rugs - the heavy lifting was done with a carpet beater each spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habeas Domus Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 will it be illegal to sell them second hand? No the regulation covers manufacture and importing so second hand will be fine - and they may well appreciate in value particularly to pet owners. The really stupid thing about this regulation is they are assuming that manufacturers will somehow be able to make cleaners more efficient, would it be too much to ask the EUrocrats to work with manufacturers to see what's possible before changing the law. 100+ years of Electrical engineering research has shown that: universal motors are usually relatively inefficient- around 30% for smaller motors and up to 70-75% for larger ones. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_motor#Properties So forcing people to use smaller motors will reduce efficiency - your new hoover with 50% of the power input might only have 25% of the power output - time to invest in a carpet beater factory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormymonday_2011 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 (edited) Old cleaners were rubbish, but back then a lot of people didnt have very many carpets/rugs - the heavy lifting was done with a carpet beater each spring.Laughable tosh. The vast majority of 1970s houses were carpeted wall to wall apart from the bathroom and kitchen. FFS it was the age of the loathsome shag pile and the high streets were full of carpet chain shops. No one used hand held carpet beaters The vacuum cleaners may not have been fantastic in terms of suction but they were reliable and normally easy to repair if they did go wrong. I did not notice any outbreaks of plague in the 1970s and I doubt you will find much evidence of higher allergy or asthma rates in the era. Anyway given that many people now have laminate or hard floors they probably don't need a vacuum cleaner at all. Sweeping and mopping the floor with a damp cloth is enough to clean most such surfaces. But if you want to go on being conned by manufacturers don't let me stop you. BTW my Mum has used the same type of upright Panasonic vacuum over the past 20 years and what we have noticed is that the wattage of these machines has steadily gone up in that time from 1200 watts to 1600 watts and then 1900 watts but their reliability has steadily deteriorated. Any way the old Hoover Constellation still works which is more than I can say for the Dyson I have had the misfortune to own. Edited August 25, 2014 by stormymonday_2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Old cleaners were rubbish, but back then a lot of people didnt have very many carpets/rugs - the heavy lifting was done with a carpet beater each spring. The old Hoover Juniors and upright vacuum's were excellent. The carpet beaters and before my time and that is saying something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Careful they may be trying to sign up people to a new rechargeable sweeper beater.......new battery £70 a pop.....customer for life, keeps paying out.....instead of a jolly good model that lasts for life, one payment down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habeas Domus Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Laughable tosh. The vast majority of 1970s houses were carpeted wall to wall apart from the bathroom and kitchen. This probably depends on the area, my mother used to sell carpets in the 1970s and a big proportion of the sales were to people in council flats who still had the original lino floors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 The Vacuum Cleaner Police sounds something Philip K. Dick could have written.I'm still trying to work a KRS one pun. With no suck-cess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wish I could afford one Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Good post over at Simple Living in Suffolk about this very topic - Self-seeking vacuum cleaner manufacturers lambast energy efficiency moves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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