Art 29t
01 March 2016

Energy label disappoints consumers

By Justin Binks, Director of SEBO UK

Pictured Is Justin Binks, Director of SEBO UK. 

In theory, the idea of a label that helps consumers understand the energy efficiency and performance of vacuum cleaners seems like a good idea. In reality, since the new regulations for labelling were introduced in September 2014, few consumers purchasing a vacuum cleaner appear to see the labels as important. Indeed, most take little notice of the rating of a particular machine unless it is brought to their attention. There is a good reason for this. Like toasters and hairdryers, vacuum cleaners are only used for short periods, so they do not use huge amounts of energy in the first place.

Consumers who do look at the energy label tend to note the A-G bands that are prominent at the top of the label. These ‘headlines' are only part of the story; the label also sets out to quantify the amount of energy the vacuum cleaner will use per year. In addition, manufacturers are required to score their vacuum cleaners from A-G on key performance characteristics: dirt pick up from carpets; dirt pick up from hard floors and crevices; dust emissions based on the efficiency of the filtration system; and noise levels in decibels. It is worth noting that the energy rating band that the machine falls into supposedly includes a penalty for poor pick up of dirt.

Even when consumers take note of these ratings, they are often left none the wiser and many purchasers are disappointed. In reality, the labels on some machines bear little relation to how well one machine cleans compared to another. Put simply, an A rating on the energy label does not necessarily mean the vacuum cleaner will pick up efficiently so consumers who opt for high ratings may well end up with an inefficient product. Ironically, ease of use is not part of the tests.

There is very little transparency in the world of vacuum cleaner testing and, although the conditions are supposed to be the same in each manufacturer's testing station, there are inevitable variations. What is more, the tests used to arrive at the figures are unrepresentative of real-world cleaning scenarios and are easily fudged.

Both the hard floor and carpet pick up tests require that a special type of sand be used. This is strange when the largest component of what a typical vacuum cleaner picks up is fibre, such as fluff and hair. The hard floor test has the added requirement that the machine must remove dirt from a 10mm deep by 3mm wide crevice. It does not take into account the need to clean the surface of the floor. Consequently, to make their machines look good from a rating perspective, manufacturers are frequently creating vacuum cleaners that are hard to use since the head ‘sticks' to the floor.

People want vacuum cleaners that are easy to use and quickly do the job. They are generally more interested in having clean floors than saving comparatively small amounts of energy. Luckily, many consumers are wisely ignoring the claims made by some manufacturers and are buying a brand they trust to do the job.

For further information on SEBO, please call 01494 465 533 or visit www.sebo.co.uk.

-ends-

With compliments
Alison Relf  
Taylor Alden Ltd  
Unit 2 Temple Place  
247 The Broadway  
London  
SW19 1SD 
Tel: 020 8543 3866 
Email: alison@tayloralden.co.uk