How Many Watts Does a Vacuum Use? A Complete Guide

One of the first things that cross our minds before buying any electrical appliance is the energy it will consume and how that will affect our bills. The same goes for vacuum cleaners.

If you are about to buy a new vacuum cleaner and wondering how many watts does a vacuum use, this guide is for you. In this article, we will discuss the power an average vacuum cleaner consumes and the factors that affect it to help you choose a model that works best for your needs.

How Many Watts Does a Vacuum Use?

Typically, vacuum cleaners consume about 500 watts to 3000 watts of power per hour, depending on the model and its construct. The most common commercial models use somewhere around 1.4 kWh of electrical power, which is 1400 watts an hour.

The average price of energy per watt in the USA is 10.4 cents, meaning if you run a 1400-watt vacuum cleaner for 2 hours a week, it will cost you around $2.9 a week. As you can see, it doesn’t make a significant difference to your energy consumption or bill.

Factors That Affect the Energy Consumption of Vacuum Cleaners

Vacuum cleaners do not take up a lot of energy, but if you still want to prioritize low energy consumption over other buying criteria, here are a few factors you need to consider.

• Suction Power

Vacuum cleaners come with multiple suction settings. If your cleaner is set at a high suction power, the motors will be forced to run faster and consume higher energy. On the other hand, if your vacuum suction is low, the energy consumption will be far lower, though the cleaning might not be as efficient.

• Motor Efficiency

The efficiency of your vacuum cleaner motors is one of the biggest factors that determine the device’s overall energy efficiency. The motors only take a part of the total energy consumed, so if your vacuum cleaner draws about 1400 watts per hour, the motor will only use 35% to 40% of it.

If you want to lower your vacuum cleaner’s energy efficiency, go for a highly efficient motor that can use a larger part of the energy drawn by the appliance.

• Size of Your Room

The longer your appliance works, the more energy it will consume. Similarly, if you are using your vacuum cleaner to clean a larger area, it will consume more power. On the other hand, smaller areas and rooms that can be cleaned quickly will result in low energy consumption.

• Working Pace

Everyone has their own pace of working. Some people like to get their chores done faster, while others take it easy when cleaning the house. If you are someone who takes their own sweet time to vacuum, you will naturally take up more energy.

If you take more time, your vacuum cleaner would run for longer. On the other hand, you will spend much less energy if you get all the vacuuming done at the earliest.

• Air Filters

Air filters are an important part of your vacuum cleaner. Not only do they protect its motor and internal components from excess dust accumulation, but they also prevent dust particles from re-entering the air in your home.

The filters substantially restrict the suction and vacuum airflow, and anything that obstructs the suction power of your vacuum cleaner naturally makes the motor work harder and draw more energy.

So if you have an advanced-level vacuum cleaner with several complex air filters, the energy consumption of your vacuum cleaner will be high.

How to Minimize Power Consumption of Your Vacuum Cleaner

Here are some ways to minimize its power consumption without compromising the cleaning performance:

• Clean the Air and Dust Filters

The air and dust filters are a huge obstruction to your vacuum cleaner, but since they are indispensable, you should at least keep them clean and dust-free with regular maintenance. Easy operation reduces the pressure on your vacuum cleaner motor and naturally brings down your energy consumption.

• Change the Bag Regularly

Changing your bag regularly will ensure that the vacuum cleaner does not have to apply extra pressure to maintain the same suction force. Without any obstruction, it will operate smoothly and not take up any extra power.

• Maintain the Right Suction Power

Modern vacuum cleaners are efficient enough to clean your house, even if it’s not on the highest section level. If you are not dealing with any stubborn lump of dust, there is no real need for your vacuum cleaner to be in a high suction mode. It will unnecessarily make your vacuum motor work harder and take a lot of energy, especially in the case of loose dust and dirt.

• Get an Energy-Efficient Vacuum Cleaner

No matter what precautions you take to minimize the energy consumption of your vacuum cleaner, ultimately, it comes down to the device itself.

If you want to save on energy bills, make sure you buy an energy-efficient vacuum cleaner. The motor should be able to use most of the power that the device draws and minimize energy wastage without compromising its service efficiency.

• Type of Vacuum Cleaner

Different types of vacuum offer different services. If you are worried about the energy efficiency of household vacuum cleaners, go ahead and get a cordless vacuum. Since they run on batteries, you won’t have to worry about energy usage.

Want to make your vacuum last longer? Here are some expert tips to help you out.

Conclusion

You should now have the answer to how many watts does a vacuum use. The energy consumed by a vacuum cleaner largely depends on individual appliances’ brand, model, and energy rating.

We hope this guide has helped you zero in on the power output and energy consumption measurement to estimate the approximate energy cost that a new vacuum cleaner will add to your regular bills.

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