• Ten days until EU companies can no longer make/import powerful vacuum cleaners
    66 replies, posted
[QUOTE=lazyguy;45759922]My dog ate the lino in the kitchen.[/QUOTE] I meant their nails scratch the shit out of it from them trying to grip onto something.
[QUOTE=Jamsponge;45759766]Somehow, I don't think the [I]European[/I] Union can do much about the People's Republic of China. And considering the population of all EU countries is 503 million (and rising), even if there's only 1 ≥1600W vacuum per 1000 people (or 503000 vacuum cleaners), used (when averaged out) for 5 minutes a day, that's still 67066.63984W, or about 67kW, per day- and that's an unbelievably conservative estimate, I'd say. Yes, it's not going to save the planet, but every step is a step.[/QUOTE] Electricity consumption in itself doesn't pollute rather it's the method of power generation, if we was all using nuclear, solar or wind we would not be having this problem, or at least it would be significantly less, banning energy intensive products helps no doubt but it doesn't solve the root cause which is dirty power production. [QUOTE=Awesomecaek;45759890]And if people fail to live ecologically, who else but the government can make them?[/QUOTE] Government can't make people do shit, incandescent bulbs are still being commonly sold here, I suspect the exact same will apply to vacuum cleaners.
[QUOTE=Chryseus;45759999] Government can't make people do shit, incandescent bulbs are still being commonly sold here, I suspect the exact same will apply to vacuum cleaners.[/QUOTE] They are generally sold as "heat bulbs" for terrariums and such, even tho it's the good ol' lightbulb. Thing is, even tho it's still possible to get them, there still WAS a massive push for alternatives as the mainstream is still to get these. And good luck selling a vacuum cleaner without admitting it's a vacuum cleaner. Unless we are about to see a boom in market of of industrial power penis suction pumps.
[QUOTE=Sableye;45759554]they can't really innovate that much without using more expensive rare earths which doesn't really help the EU in any way[/QUOTE] Yep, because the smaller motor totally offsets the unimaginably dirty production methods that stay the same either way, right? [editline]21st August 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Awesomecaek;45759890]On one side people see these predictions of completely devastating climate change and crisis yet they can go raving mad about having to maybe use a broom or a mop now and then again. I love powerful vacuum cleaners but outside of genuine business use, having the extra power is just convenient, not necessary at all. And if people fail to live ecologically, [B]who else but the government can make them?[/B][/QUOTE] Something tells me you think you would be a good choice for that roll.
[QUOTE=lazyguy;45759649]FUCKING BARROSO[/QUOTE] Junkers*
Watch as some guy takes a used GE90 jet engine and repurposes it into a 75 000 000 watt vacuum cleaner just to protest
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;45760236]They are generally sold as "heat bulbs" for terrariums and such, even tho it's the good ol' lightbulb.[/QUOTE] Clearly you live in a country that enforces this kind of bullshit. They're sold as light bulbs here.
Some guy on reddit is a vacuum repair salesman and did an Iama all about his work. He says Dyson are some of the shittiest overpriced crap you can get, fall apart all the time, and are just wayyy too complicated. Also apparently canister vacuums don't have any suction compared to conventional bagged ones for the most part.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;45759856]Do I sense a decline in the popularity of carpeted floors?[/QUOTE] Shit, my family are already doing this, not for power, but aesthetic, and wood floors are just easier to clean. [QUOTE=paindoc;45760537]Some guy on reddit is a vacuum repair salesman and did an Iama all about his work. He says Dyson are some of the shittiest overpriced crap you can get, fall apart all the time, and are just wayyy too complicated. Also apparently canister vacuums don't have any suction compared to conventional bagged ones for the most part.[/QUOTE] The vacuums will eventually get there, but I disagree with banning. I think offering tax breaks to companies that make more efficient vacuums, or taxing inefficient vacuums is a much better option.
When eventually forced to replace a powerful vacuum with a weaker one, it couldn't suck more.
Surely ovens, showers and kettles would be better things to try to force efficiency in? [editline]21st August 2014[/editline] Maybe insulation in homes too [editline]21st August 2014[/editline] Infact fuck it insulation in homes is probably the best way to collectively improve fuel efficiency. That's something that affects everyone in europe for 3-6 months a year.
[QUOTE=Saber15;45759374]Yeah, but Dysons are [I]significantly[/I] more expensive than other vacuum cleaners because of said technology. The most expensive Hoover is cheaper by $100 than the smallest upright Dyson vacuum cleaner. :v:[/QUOTE] This is a good point. And the people above talk about innovation. Such innovation would be patented and only used by a small number of companies possibly encouraging monopoly?
[QUOTE=Flapadar;45760937]Surely ovens, showers and kettles would be better things to try to force efficiency in? [editline]21st August 2014[/editline] Maybe insulation in homes too [editline]21st August 2014[/editline] Infact fuck it insulation in homes is probably the best way to collectively improve fuel efficiency. That's something that affects everyone in europe for 3-6 months a year.[/QUOTE] Insulation also has a way higher investment cost, so it's kind of hard to enforce that.
[QUOTE=judgeofdeath;45761940]Insulation also has a way higher investment cost, so it's kind of hard to enforce that.[/QUOTE] Also doesn't insulation degrade somewhat over time? That'd probably piss of quite a few people.
Let's put this into perspective for us Americans. For us, the maximum allowed wattage for 120v non fixed appliances is 1500w. That's 12.5 amps of power out of the maximum of 15 amps on a normal circuit. Of course outlets can be 20 amps if the wiring is 12 guage and everything is rated for it, but manufacturers can't count on everyone having 20 amp circuits. Most of our vacuums are a few hundred watts at best, some just over a thousand. The beast vacuums in Europe must be hella powerful because they can use more power than anything we've got. Of course, in America we also have 240v 50 amp rated outlets for our heavy household appliances like ranges and dryers. Everyone here has combo 120v/240 lines running into their homes, so we have 240v too Europe [I]and[/I] 10 extra hertz on your 50hz power.
Going to save the earth by getting rid of decent vacuums?
I think this is just them going after an easy target so they can say "We did something!" Climate change would affected by I don't know, replacing fossil fuels with something else?
[QUOTE=Chryseus;45760486]Clearly you live in a country that enforces this kind of bullshit. They're sold as light bulbs here.[/QUOTE] ✓ € -> 🔨💡 = >:(
[QUOTE=Chryseus;45759637]You're forgetting Dyson motors use neodymium magnets which are not exactly environmentally friendly to produce, also Dyson is practically double or more the price of a traditional vacuum cleaners, frankly I don't give a shit if it uses less power as long as its cheap.[/QUOTE] Every single headphone and speaker on the planet uses neodymium magnets too; I'm willing to wager that their impact probably outweighs that of vacuum cleaners (not that I'm arguing that this law is a bad thing, I'm just saying if that's your argument then it's not the most well placed argument in the world).
[QUOTE=Chryseus;45760486]Clearly you live in a country that enforces this kind of bullshit. They're sold as light bulbs here.[/QUOTE] Whereabouts in the UK do you live? Between Hampshire and Staffordshire (the two places I've lived between since that ban came about) I haven't seen a single incandescent bulb in a shop. Granted I don't go shopping as often as some people might but I have definitely noticed them missing from where I remember seeing them a while ago.
[QUOTE=Chryseus;45760486]Clearly you live in a country that enforces this kind of bullshit. They're sold as light bulbs here.[/QUOTE] Same here, thank god. I hate CFL bulbs, LEDs are too expensive and neither get along with my dimmer switch. Which I'm not swapping out for a normal switch, nope nosiree. Incandescent or nothing at all for me. My power's hydroelectric, too, so I couldn't care less about the increased wattage. It's not pumping any more CO2 into the air than a lower power unit because the power isn't generated by a method which produces CO2. So yeah, fuck it, gimme a good old fashioned 60 watter. [editline]22nd August 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Metalcastr;45763077]Let's put this into perspective for us Americans. For us, the maximum allowed wattage for 120v non fixed appliances is 1500w. That's 12.5 amps of power out of the maximum of 15 amps on a normal circuit. Of course outlets can be 20 amps if the wiring is 12 guage and everything is rated for it, but manufacturers can't count on everyone having 20 amp circuits. Most of our vacuums are a few hundred watts at best, some just over a thousand. The beast vacuums in Europe must be hella powerful because they can use more power than anything we've got. Of course, in America we also have 240v 50 amp rated outlets for our heavy household appliances like ranges and dryers. Everyone here has combo 120v/240 lines running into their homes, so we have 240v too Europe [I]and[/I] 10 extra hertz on your 50hz power.[/QUOTE] It's also worth noting that our 15 amp wall circuit code is a legacy holdover from the days when the number of appliances in a house that could actually draw that much could be counted on one hand. People had a single CRT TV in their living room, perhaps a few plug-in heaters and window ACs, and that was really about it. So you could get away with a vacuum that drew 12.5 amps just fine. But nowadays there's TVs in pretty much every room, computers drawing a third of what's available in the wall, portable radios, all sorts of stuff. Entertainment systems are hungrier than ever, any savings we got from switching to LCD TVs we eat up and then some with stuff like TIVOs and Netflix set-top boxes and game consoles and the like. 'Tis why I can't vacuum without turning half my house off. If I try I throw a breaker the moment I turn the vacuum on. 'Tis also why I welcome the innovation, even if I loathe the reasoning behind it. In a few years we'll have vacuums that don't tilt 15 amp breakers yet do the job just as well!
[QUOTE=CrossTownNews;45763403]I think this is just them going after an easy target so they can say "We did something!" Climate change would affected by I don't know, replacing fossil fuels with something else?[/QUOTE] Well, a great deal of energy production is done by using fossil fuels, less energy consumed -> less fossil fuels used.
[QUOTE=deltasquid;45759492]Because fighting climate change is more important than your fucking vacuum cleaner.[/QUOTE] Fuck climate change, I want to vacuum my house twice as fast.
[QUOTE=Chryseus;45759999]Electricity consumption in itself doesn't pollute rather it's the method of power generation, if we was all using nuclear, solar or wind we would not be having this problem, or at least it would be significantly less, banning energy intensive products helps no doubt but it doesn't solve the root cause which is dirty power production.[/QUOTE] There's a fundamental issue with this though, and it's the fact that unless you can get an entire country (or the entire area of each energy-providing company) to switch to using less-power-intensive services and utilities, then they'll still produce the same amount of energy as they always do, regulating only according to how much they're allowed to produce and how much each area is requiring. Which, unless everyone switches, isn't going to do anything. So in the end, this doesn't change anything in the next 25-40 years, most likely.
Fuck EU sometimes, seriously. They make some very weird rules, like requiring sites to put a cookie disclaimer that explains what cookies do like you're a fucking idiot (And you have to click okay for it to go away, it comes back not long after).
Not sure how much a Roomba (or equivalent) uses in terms of power, but seeing as how they are battery-powered, it's probably well below the threshold. Mine does the job well enough. For the little nooks and crannies it misses, I have a small handheld to take care of those every two weeks. The Roomba runs on a schedule every other day and takes care larger areas. You don't need massive amounts of suction unless you're cleaning out a thick rug or are really bad at upkeep so all the gunk really builds up a layer of crap on your surfaces.
So help me [B]GOD[/B] if they ban the Henry Hoover!
This is pointless and stupid, rather than causing all sorts of problems for average joes, why doesn't the EU put even more focus on cleaner power generation? Oh, that's right, Germany (major influence in the EU) is apparently run by children and is terrified of nuclear power now. [QUOTE=thelurker1234;45761953]Also doesn't insulation degrade somewhat over time? That'd probably piss of quite a few people.[/QUOTE]Yeah, you need to replace it after a few decades. [i]Decades.[/i] If energy use is an issue, why not tackle something that influences usage all day, all year? People vacuum when they feel they need to clean up, poor insulation is a drain on infrastructure simply by existing.
[quote]This is pointless and stupid, rather than causing all sorts of problems for average joes, why doesn't the EU put even more focus on cleaner power generation? Oh, that's right, Germany (major influence in the EU) is apparently run by children and is terrified of nuclear power now. [/quote] Except it's only Germany. Though to be honest, the UK isn't building anymore because they're freaking expensive to build and maintain - can't wait for France to get it's fission planets working.
[QUOTE=BackwardSpy;45764404]Whereabouts in the UK do you live? Between Hampshire and Staffordshire (the two places I've lived between since that ban came about) I haven't seen a single incandescent bulb in a shop. Granted I don't go shopping as often as some people might but I have definitely noticed them missing from where I remember seeing them a while ago.[/QUOTE] I'm down in the south of Kent, generally you don't find them in larger stores but many high street shops I've been in stock them. [QUOTE=TestECull;45765059]Same here, thank god. I hate CFL bulbs, LEDs are too expensive and neither get along with my dimmer switch. Which I'm not swapping out for a normal switch, nope nosiree. Incandescent or nothing at all for me.[/QUOTE] LEDs are not really that expensive once you take in to account the lower energy bill and much longer lifetime, you can get ones that work with dimmers as well.
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