First they came for the vacuum cleaner …
On Monday many of the best vacuum cleaners available for sale in the UK will be banned as a result of the EU energy efficiency rules that prohibit the manufacture or importing any vacuums with motors above 1,600 watts.
Tesco said sales of the most powerful vacuums had soared by as much as 94 per cent for some models after the Telegraph reported consumer group Which? urging shoppers to act quickly before they sold out forever.
This is supposed to be an energy saving measure … clearly not the energy of the person cleaning the house.
A study ordered by the European Commission,currently in draft form, 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.
Hairdryers are next in line it seems. And kettles soon.
What springs to mind is the obvious fact that to boil a kettle of water requires the same input of energy whether its quick and powerful or slow and frustrating (ignoring the small amount of additional heat lost to the atmosphere whilst the pot is watched for longer).
And pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space …
bobmcgee 