Topic: EU to ban high-energy hair dryers, smartphones and kettles ...

[Pandora]

...  in follow-up to controversial ban on powerful vacuum cleaners.

... The power of hairdryers could be reduced by as much as 30 per cent in order to be more eco-friendly ...

... Current EU legislation covers televisions, washing machines, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners but not most smaller electrical appliances.

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.

... legislation preventing consumers from buying high-wattage appliances was necessary to fight climate change.

"We haven't got round to these devices yet, we want curb power consumption ...

... 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.

...  The draft EC-commissioned study says hairdryers’ power input range from 900 watts to as much as 2,300 watts.

It admits that “of course, more powerful dryers may dry hair in a shorter time” but says there is “improvement potential” to cut hair dryers’ energy consumption by 30 per cent.  Mark Coray, former president of the National Hairdressers’ Federation, said curbing the power of hairdryers would simply mean blow-drying took longer.

Mr Coray said he favoured a 2,100 watt hairdryer at his salon in Cardiff. “You have a salon environment and somebody in their lunch-break wanting to have their hair done; you have time constraints. The more powerful, the faster the blow dry – it’s as simple as that.”

He said one manufacturer had recently brought out a “green” hairdryer with a lower wattage of between 1,400 and 1,600 watts, but he was unimpressed by it. “It gets very hot but it doesn’t blow very fast,” he said.

And "it" doesn't wash clothes very well, "it" doesn't wash dishes very well but water and power are saved so that's all that matters.

These people are UNsane.

[Weisshaupt]

Yeah, because using 1500 watts for 4 minutes is different than using 3000 watts for two minutes.
And you know, hairdrying makes up what? .000003%  of world electricity usage?

[IronDioPriest]

"...It admits that “of course, more powerful dryers may dry hair in a shorter time” but says there is “improvement potential” to cut hair dryers’ energy consumption by 30 per cent..."

"Improvement potential" sounds nice, dudn't it? Might as well go with it. Yeah, yeah, people will dry their hair longer and use as much or more electricity. But the device is more efficient relative to itself, so that must be good. Right?

*sigh*

[richb]

Add more items to that "didn't those things work better in the past?" list.   

High powered vacuum cleaner?  Was there such a thing?  If anything they are UNDERpowered, most new vacuums are already garbage right out of the box.   

[Pandora]

Add more items to that "didn't those things work better in the past?" list.   

High powered vacuum cleaner?  Was there such a thing?  If anything they are UNDERpowered, most new vacuums are already garbage right out of the box.

Get you a whole-house/central vac.  It'll suck the hair right off yore haid.

[richb]

That's what i got,  portable ones just don't get things very clean.

[Weisshaupt]

That's what i got,  portable ones just don't get things very clean.

Michelle just got a refurbished Dyson handheld, and she is very pleased with it so far- it can do half of the house on a single charge. .  We also  have a refurbished  upright Dyson that has been going strong and performing well for over 10 years now.. Betcha anything that Dyson will be moving their operations.

[Glock32]

They're operating on the fallacious premise that current appliances use too much power to achieve their intended use. This is like the low flow toilet nonsense -- "if it only takes 1.5 gallons of water to remove waste, then 3 gpf toilets are using two times more water than they need".  Yeah, except statistical analyses have shown that not only is this premise incorrect, low flow toilets require more than twice the number of flushes to get the same result, because the world ain't linear extrapolation.

Likewise look at wet hair. There's a certain minimum amount of energy required to evaporate X amount of liquid water. Variables like the humidity of the surrounding air, how thick is the wet hair, etc, increase this energy requirement. Guarantee you the supposed energy savings in these appliances will be more than offset by people having to operate them longer.

The net result is more, not less, consumption of energy -- but that's not really the point is it?

[richb]

They're operating on the fallacious premise that current appliances use too much power to achieve their intended use. This is like the low flow toilet nonsense -- "if it only takes 1.5 gallons of water to remove waste, then 3 gpf toilets are using two times more water than they need".  Yeah, except statistical analyses have shown that not only is this premise incorrect, low flow toilets require more than twice the number of flushes to get the same result, because the world ain't linear extrapolation.

Likewise look at wet hair. There's a certain minimum amount of energy required to evaporate X amount of liquid water. Variables like the humidity of the surrounding air, how thick is the wet hair, etc, increase this energy requirement. Guarantee you the supposed energy savings in these appliances will be more than offset by people having to operate them longer.

The net result is more, not less, consumption of energy -- but that's not really the point is it?

Nope,  its not about usability,  practicality or facts is it?   Some liberal just thinks he knows better then the rest of us. 

And we end up with toilets that don't flush well,  lightbulbs that give our harsh light and flicker and buzz, vacuums that don't clean and so on. 

[Pandora]

They're operating on the fallacious premise that current appliances use too much power to achieve their intended use. This is like the low flow toilet nonsense -- "if it only takes 1.5 gallons of water to remove waste, then 3 gpf toilets are using two times more water than they need".  Yeah, except statistical analyses have shown that not only is this premise incorrect, low flow toilets require more than twice the number of flushes to get the same result, because the world ain't linear extrapolation.

Likewise look at wet hair. There's a certain minimum amount of energy required to evaporate X amount of liquid water. Variables like the humidity of the surrounding air, how thick is the wet hair, etc, increase this energy requirement. Guarantee you the supposed energy savings in these appliances will be more than offset by people having to operate them longer.

The net result is more, not less, consumption of energy -- but that's not really the point is it?

Exactly, plus ....

... recall what the man said about the "green" hairdryer:  “It gets very hot but it doesn’t blow very fast,”.

It's not the fan that sucks up the power, it's the heating element.  So, what the greenies have invented in this "new and improved" dryer incorporates the worst of 'both worlds'.

[AlanS]

I want a toilet that flushes.

[IronDioPriest]

I want a toilet that flushes Leftists into hell.

FIFY

[trapeze]

I want a toilet that flushes.

The "washlet." One of these days I'm gonna get one of these things. Probably banned in the EU which would make me want one even more.

[trapeze]

Add more items to that "didn't those things work better in the past?" list.   

High powered vacuum cleaner?  Was there such a thing?  If anything they are UNDERpowered, most new vacuums are already garbage right out of the box.

Get you a whole-house/central vac.  It'll suck the hair right off yore haid.

I've had one for twenty years and they do kick ass. Cleaning out the canister is not fun, though.

[richb]

I want a toilet that flushes.

They do still sell the 5 gallon ones in Canada (the irony, some of those 5 gallon ones are made in the US).   People actually smuggle those working toilets into the US.  Isn't that insane you have to smuggle one in if you want one.

[AlanS]

I want a toilet that flushes.

They do still sell the 5 gallon ones in Canada (the irony, some of those 5 gallon ones are made in the US).   People actually smuggle those working toilets into the US.  Isn't that insane you have to smuggle one in if you want one.

20 yrs ago, if you would have told me there was a black market for toilets, I would have keeled over laughing.

[Glock32]

My house was built in the late 80s, and still has the original 3 gallons per flush toilets.  Considering their value, I guess it's literally like sitting on the throne.

[AlanS]

My house was built in the late 80s, and still has the original 3 gallons per flush toilets.  Considering their value, I guess it's literally like sitting on the throne.

A throne of gold.