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New vacuum cleaners: lower power, same performance

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New vacuum cleaners: lower power, same performance

BEUC NEWS - 01.09.2017

Energy-guzzling vacuum cleaners using more than 900 watts are barred from entering the EU market as of today. The new models allowed on EU shelves will consume less energy while maintaining the same cleaning performance. This is great news for the environment and consumers. These new rules can help Europe save the equivalent of the annual household electricity consumption of Belgium by 2020.

The new requirements will for the first time make vacuum cleaners less noisy, as they should not emit more than 80 decibels. When Which? tested most new vacuums, it found that noise levels varied from 65 up to 90 decibels – that’s the difference between the sound of a conversation a metre away to the sound of a busy main road. In addition, consumers will benefit from more durable vacuum cleaners, thanks to durability rules for hoses and motors.

These new rules reinforce the 2014 requirements which had already brought down vacuum cleaners’ wattage, as laid out in the Ecodesign Directive. This EU legislation aims to make electric appliances consume less energy from the moment they are designed, in a drive to protect strained natural resources and save energy.

Tests from our UK member Which? confirmed that the vacuum cleaners launched since 2014 have been able to maintain high standards of dust and debris removal while using significantly less energy. In brief, lower motor power does not impact cleaning performance.

Vacuum cleaners manufactured or imported before 1 September 2017 will still be on sale until stocks run out. The next steps to bring vacuum cleaner energy consumption even further down will be discussed next year.

More info:

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Communications Department

The European Consumer Organisation
Europäischer Verbraucherverband
Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs

Pauline Constant, BEUC
Pauline Constant
Director