EU citizens have spent the last weekend rushing out to by vacuum cleaners ahead of ban on cleaners with motors bigger than 1,600 watts. Supermarket giant Tesco states Vacuum sales went up by 44% this past weekend alone.
The ban follows the out-lawing of power sucking plasma TVs and traditional light bulbs.
The new rules imposed by the EU are set to start September the 1st and are being put in place in a bid to reduce house hold energy consumption.
The Mirror UK explains:
"The average power of a vacuum cleaner on sale in Europe is 1,800 watts. This will have to be halved within the next three years, as the limit of 1,600 watts will be reduced to just 900 watts from September 2017."
Controversy over new ruling
Many are upset and are claiming the EU has gone too far (see public consensus picture above), that people will simply use the weaker vacuums more often contradicting any beneficial reductions.
The Mirror
shared this statement from European Commission spokesman Marlene Holzner:
"As a result of the new EU ecodesign and labelling regulations, consumers will also get better vacuum cleaners. In the past there was no legislation on vacuum cleaners and companies could sell poorly performing vacuum cleaners.
"Now, vacuum cleaners that use a lot of energy, that pick up dust poorly, emit too much dust at the exhaust of the vacuum cleaner, are noisy or break down prematurely will not be allowed on the market anymore.
"This means a better cleaning experience and less time and money spent on vacuum cleaning."
27 simple ways to reduce your energy consumption at home.
Where does our energy come from, and where is it going? Inefficient appliances, chargers left plugged in, TVs on stand-by, overheating halogen downlights; the list is endless . We just have to be energy smart.
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1. POWER STRIPS HELP:
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Plug electronics and computer equipment into a power strip with an on/off switch and turn it off when you are not using the products. This will ensure that the products are not using electricity.
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2. SLEEP IS GOOD (FOR COMPUTERS TOO) :
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Activate power management features on computers and monitors toplace them in a low-power sleep mode after a set time of inactivity to reduce power consumption. Simply hitting a key on the keyboard or moving the mouse awakens them in seconds.
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3. LAPTOPS TRUMP DESKTOPS:
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If a laptop will meet your computer needs, choose one over a desktop. Laptops are 2.5-3 times more efficient than desktop computers.
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4. TONE DOWN THE TV:
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Reduce the brightness on your television screen to cut its energy use by as much as 30 percent. Newer televisions have multiple screen settings and options that can affect their power consumption. Set your television to the “home" or “standard" setting, to help use less energy.
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5. ALWAYS UNPLUG:
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Unplug battery chargers or power adapters when equipment is fully charged or not connected to the charger. This helps avoid energy waste.
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6. TURN OFF GAMES CONSOLES:
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Many of today's video game consoles are left on all the time, drawing between 1,000 – 1,300 kWh a year, which means up to 1.3 tonnes of CO2 pollution and $260 on your yearly energy bill. Turning these devices off after use can lower those levels to no more than 120 kWh each year!.
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7. USE A DVD PLAYER FOR DVDs :
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Don't use your game console as a DVD player. They can use as much as 24 times the power of a stand-alone DVD player!
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8. SHORTEN YOUR SHOWER :
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Shortening your shower by three minutes can save about $35 per person per year and 450kg of CO2 pollution.
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9.SWITCH OFF LIGHTS:
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By switching lights off in rooms and areas not in use you can save around 400kg of CO2 pollution and $100 per year..
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10.WASH IN COLD WATER:
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By washing clothes in cold water you can save around 400kg of CO2 pollution and $30 per year..
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11.INSTALL AN ENERGY EFFICIENT SHOWER HEAD :
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Installing an energy efficient showerhead can save your household $30 and 400kg of CO2 pollution, per person per year if you are using electric hot water.
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12.RECYCLE YOUR SECOND FRIDGE :
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Recycling your second fridge or freezer can save over 1 tonne of CO2 solution and $265 per year.
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13.SWITCH OFF YOUR SECOND FRIDGE:
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Switching off your second fridge for six months of the year can save around 525kg of CO2 pollution and up to $130 per year.
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14.SWITCH OFF APPLIANCES AND EQUIPMENT
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By switching off at the power point appliances and equipment such as mobile phone chargers, televisions, set-top boxes, microwave ovens, games consoles, DVD players etc you can save about 500kg of CO2 pollution and $125 per year.
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15.FIT THICK AND CLOSE FITTING CURTAINS
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A lot of heat escapes through windows. Using close fitting curtains will keep the heat inside, saving $55 a year and 200kg of CO2 pollution.
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16.REPLACE YOUR AIR CONDITIONER WITH A FAN
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By replacing your air conditioner with a ceiling fan you can save about 550kg of CO2 pollution and $140 per year
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17.REPLACE YOUR ELECTRIC HOT WATER SYSTEM
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Replacing your electric hot water system with a solar powered hot water system can reduce your annual power bill by about $155 and save 2100kg of CO2 pollution.
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18.IMPROVE THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF YOUR FRIDGE
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By improving the efficiency of your fridge (through fixing seals, closing the door, leaving space around the fridge, keeping the fridge temperature at 3-4 degrees Celsius) you can save 100kg of CO2 pollution and $25 per year.
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19.INSTALL ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING
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Through replacing a single incandescent light globe with a compact fluorescent light globe (CFL) you can save 100kg of CO2 pollution and $20 per year. By switching to energy efficient lighting throughout your home you can save around 600kg of CO2 pollution and $145 per year.
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20.CHOOSE AN ENERGY EFFICIENT WASHING MACHINE
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By choosing a washing machine with an energy rating of 4.5 stars or more you can save around 350kg of CO2 pollution and $30 per year. If you wash your clothes in cold water you can save even more.
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21.CLOSE OFF ROOMS AND AREAS NOT IN USE
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By closing off areas of your house that don't need to be heated or cooled you can save 300kg of CO2 pollution and $75 per year.
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22.SEAL DRAUGHTS AND GAPS
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By sealing draughts and gaps around external doors and windows in your house you can save 100kg of CO2 pollution and $20 per year.
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23.INSTALL CEILING INSULATION
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By installing ceiling insulation in your roof you can save around 500kg of CO2 pollution and $125 per year.
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24.HANG YOUR CLOTHES OUT ON THE LINE
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By hanging your clothes out on a line, rather than using a dryer, you can save 1.3 tonnes of CO2 pollution and $320 per year.
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25.SET YOUR HEATING A FEW DEGREES COOLER
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By setting your heater or heating system just a few degrees cooler you can save at least 600kg of CO2 pollution and $150 per year.
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26.SET YOUR COOLING A FEW DEGREES WARMER
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By setting your cooling system a few degrees warmer you can save at least 250kg of CO2 pollution and $65 per year.
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27.CHOOSE AN ENERGY EFFICIENT FRIDGE
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Choosing an energy efficient fridge/freezer can save up to 600kg of CO2 pollution and $145 per year.
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Do you think that a ban on vacuum cleaners is too far? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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