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The EU is now in the process of taking away larger size electric appliances from consumers, saying they consume too much energy. Small appliances are enough for the citizens and they’ll just have to learn to like them.

EU banning “energy-hungry” vacuum cleaners

Incandescent light bulbs have already been removed from the shelves. Next being removed are larger size vacuum cleaners. Germany’s online flagship daily the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reports: “Beginning September 2014 in the EU only vacuum cleaners that consume less than 1600 watts may be sold. From 2017 only a maximum of 900 watts will be allowed.”

Hat-tip: DirkH

The FAZ writes that the ban was very quietly passed by Brussels some weeks ago, going unnoticed by the public.

Vacuum cleaners will also carry a sticker informing the consumer of the appliance’s energy efficiency rating. The EU thinks it can save energy by forcing consumers to buy only small appliances.

Whether the intrusion by the state will have an effect on overall electricity consumption remains a question. Smaller vacuum cleaners will only mean that housewives (and many husbands, of course) will have to spend twice as long vacuuming to get the house clean, and so may end up using even more electricity. This is the latest Brussels eco-justified intrusion into the free market and our private lives.

To be fair, the FAZ does write that the manufacturers of vacuum cleaners have pretty much accepted the law without protest, as most cleaners are already below the 1600-watt limit. However, a couple of high-end vacuum cleaner manufacturers, such as Vorwerk, are resisting.

What’s next?

The FAZ writes that not only light bulbs and vacuum cleaners are targeted for higher efficiency, but also an entire range of appliances. This is all in the wake of the European Ecodesign Directive, which will go into effect on November 1st for clothes dryers. “For condensation tumbler dryers, the weighted condensation efficiency must not be less than 60 percent.”

This latest additional government encroachment into private lives is necessary, European bureaucrats believe. Citizens have to stop being wasteful and it’s past time to rescue the planet from dangerous climate change, so claim the nannies in Brussels and other European capitals. It’s all for our own good.

How could people have come to accept being treated like irresponsible children who need to be nannied 24 hours a day? Surely if a poll were taken in Europe, a majority of citizens indeed would agree that they really are too stupid to make their own personal decisions and so it’s best that the state decides simple things for them, like the purchase of an appliance.

A large part of the European citizens have been brainwashed into believing this.

Recently the EU attempted to force consumers to have only the option of buying cars that emit low levels of CO2. But Angela Merkel resisted the move, claiming that Germany’s powerful automotive industry needs more time to make its cars more efficient.