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The powerful motor used in most modern vacuum cleaners may offer excellent suction power but comes at a cost, very high energy consumption. Most vacuum cleaners rely on the principle of atmospheric pressure, a fan extracts air from inside the machine and then the difference in pressure between the air and the machine leads to a perceived suction effect, therefore the dirt is pulled into a bag held within the machine itself. Modern innovations such as “cyclone” cleaners have reduced the need for bags although filters are still required. The technology relies upon the intake air being spun extremely fast which causes the dust to move to the outside of the cylinder and fall down into a storage container.
Amongst the current available cleaners are a number of “eco” machines designed to save energy when compared to the traditional energy intensive machines. Machines such as the Morphy Richards PerformAir and the Electrolux Ultra Silencer Green use smaller more efficient motors to produce the same cleaning power but importantly with a lower power consumption level.
Robotic Vacuum cleaners such as the iRobot Roomba series are another very eco-friendly option as they use considerably lower power motors and even better, do the vacuuming for you.
One interesting development in this field is that of the “Air Recycling Cleaner” , boasting a 250W motor it is claimed it can produce the same cleaning power as a conventional cleaner with a 1500W motor. However this is still only a prototype and there is no indication of when, if ever, it will make it onto the market.
Full details can be found by following this link.
Vacuum cleaners are currently exempt from the EU's energy labelling scheme however the EU is looking at introducing a similar scheme in the near future, although the details are yet to be announced.
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