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Retailers sell out of vacuum cleaners ahead of EU ban
A new law banning vacuum cleaners rated above 1,600 watts is set to come into effect, with retailers reporting a spike in sales from consumers wanting a powerful model before they disappear
Sales of powerful vacuum cleaners have soared ahead of a European Union ban which comes into force on Monday.
Some retailers have reported a 50 per cent rise in customers purchasing vacuums with motors above a threshold of 1,600 watts. Several shops have sold out of their more powerful machines after householders were told to “act quickly” with the ban looming.
From Monday the manufacture and import of any models above the threshold will be banned as part of the European Commission’s plans to meet targets on energy efficiency.
This weekend the Daily Mail reported that Tesco's sales of vacuum cleaners increased by 44 per cent over the last two weeks. The supermarket giant has sold out of 2,300-watt Hoover Breeze BR2306 and 2,000-watt Hoover SM2018 Pets vacuums in stores and online.
Currys said online stocks of two Samsung models and a Vax Pet vacuum were sold out, as well as those in several stores. The Cooperative Electrical shop noted a 38 per cent sales rise.
Louise Rix, Tesco planning manager, said: “We have seen huge sales increases of vacuums and we expect the high demand to continue.”
AO.com, a household appliance retailer, also saw some of its 2,000-watt models sell out.
However, Leanne Beswick, head of small domestic appliances at the company, warned against panic-buying.
“Even though these particular models will eventually be off the market, this doesn’t mean that new and other existing models are any less effective - they are not,” she said.
“Although they may need to lose power to conform to the new regulations, they won’t lose performance.”
Consumer watchdog Which? warned last week that five of the seven models awarded its Best Buy status since January 2013 exceed the new 1,600-watt limit.
A spokesman for Which? said: “If you’re in the market for a powerful vacuum, you should act quickly , before all of the models currently available sell out.
“A Best Buy 2,200-watt vacuum costs around £27 a year to run in electricity – only around £8 more than the best-scoring 1,600-watt we’ve tested.”
The maximum wattage will be lowered to 900 watts by 2017.
Marlene Holzer, energy spokesman for the European Commission, said wattage does not directly indicate a vacuum’s performance. She added that a product’s efficiency in turning electrical power into dust collection would be measured under the new rules.
Current EU legislation covers televisions, washing machines, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners but not most smaller electrical appliances.
A study ordered by the European Commission has identified up to 30 electrical appliances including lawn mowers, smart phones and kettles that could be covered by the EU’s Ecodesign directive outlawing high-wattage devices.