EU bids to sweep away powerful vacuum cleaners!
EDINBURGH, Scotland (PNN) - August 14, 2011 - It has banned the incandescent light bulb and reduced the power of flatscreen TVs to save energy. Now the European Union is planning to reduce the suck of vacuum cleaners in a move that threatens the cleanliness of the nation's homes.
The EU will next month put out a draft regulation for consultation that, if approved, will see the most powerful vacuum cleaners taken off the market to cut energy use and protect the environment, even though doing so will accomplish neither.
While 2,000-watt vacuum cleaners are now popular purchases, the new rules will restrict the size of motors to just 900 watts.
Current bestsellers include the 1,300-watt Dyson DC33, the 2,000-watt Electrolux Powerplus Z4471 and the 2,200-watt Miele S5211 Power Plus.
The Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances said manufacturers were concerned about the move.
"If you are affecting the amount of energy you have flowing through a product, then of course it is a concern about how that will impact on cleaning performance," a spokesman said.
One vacuum cleaner engineer added, "If the new rules came into force it would inevitably mean vacuum cleaners would be less effective at sucking up dirt. You would have less power to generate suction," he said.
The EU believes that by cutting the power of cleaners - five million are sold in the UK alone every year - it can save enough electricity to power 2.3 million homes.
Ed. Note, Yeah, but what about individual freedom?
