Vacuum cleaners have made cleaning our houses much simpler and effortless, haven’t they? They can pick up the tiniest dust and dirt from any surface.
That being said, you must be wondering how much it will cost you to run a vacuum. The cost mainly depends on the watts and amps it uses. So let’s find out how many watts and amps a vacuum uses.
Does a vacuum use a lot of electricity?
The usage of electricity depends on the number of hours an appliance is used and power consumption. A vacuum cleaner doesn’t use a lot of electricity compared to other house appliances.
Most house appliances use more than 1000 watts and they run for the whole day. The vacuum cleaners consume 1400 watts on average. However, we usually use them for a very short period of time.
So, generally, the use of electricity and the cost of power consumption remains low for vacuum cleaners.
That being said, if you use the vacuum cleaner for long hours, then it will definitely use a lot of electricity. Then again, if your unit consumes more than 2000 watts, then its power usage will be higher than most other household appliances.
How many watts and amps does a vacuum use?
The watts and amps usage of a vacuum varies from unit to unit. Most vacuum cleaners consume electrical current in between 8 amps to 12 amps. The standard power consumption rate of vacuum cleaners is 1400 watts. However, a vacuum can use power anything in the range of 200 watts to 3000 watts.
How many watts do an average vacuum use per hour and per day?
An average vacuum cleaner uses 1400 watts of power per hour. However, the amount of watts a unit will consume each day depends on how long you will use it. If an average vacuum cleaner is used for 30 minutes each day, the use of watts per day will be 0.7kWh.
How many watts and amps do a home vacuum, shop vacuum, and car vacuum use?
The watts and amps usage is different for different types of vacuum cleaners. The power and electricity consumption of the car vacuum is slightly lower than a home and shop vacuum.
Let’s find out the number of watts and amps a shop vacuum, home vacuum, and car vacuum consume.
Car vacuum:
The car vacuums are quite lightweight and portable and they are powered by the car. The cars are normally filled with dust and small food particles, not any heavy dirt. They don’t need to have a lot of power to pick up the light particles from the cars’ seats and floors.
Since the car vacuum cleaners get power from the cars’ battery, they are engineered in such a way that it consumes low power and electricity. The average car vacuum uses 8 amps to 10 amps of electric current and consumes 100 watts of energy.
A few car vacuums are battery-powered as well. While charging, the battery-powered units consume watts and amps according to the type of battery used.
Home vacuum:
The vacuum cleaners are regular-sized units. They can clean every type of dust and dirt from the sofas, floors, and carpet in the house. Needless to say, they consume sufficient power and electric current to produce the power to remove any stain and waste.
There are numerous brands that produce high-quality home vacuums. The use of watts and amps is different for different products. The more powerful the vacuum will be the higher the use of energy and electric current will be.
The Dyson vacuum cleaners consume 525 watts and 11 amps. Then again, the shark vacuum uses 1200 watts of energy in an electric circuit and 10 amps of electric current. The hoover vacuum cleaner uses 10 amps and 1200 watts.
Regardless of the brand, the average energy consumption of home vacuum cleaners is 1400 watts. On the other hand, the standard home vacuum uses electric current in the range of 8 amps to 12 amps.
The use of current of the home units’ doesn’t go above 12 amps, as it is not approved by Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL).
Shop vacuum:
The energy and current consumption of shop vacuum cleaners are quite similar to that of home vacuums’. However, they are somewhat more powerful as they need to clean heavier specks of dirt.
The average shop vacuum uses 12 amps of current and 1400 watts of electric energy. There are few companies that manufacture very powerful shop vacuums with lower consumption of current and energy.
The Ridgid shop vacuum is one of them as it uses 1000 watts and 10 amps while ensuring enough power to clean the shop effortlessly.
How much does it cost to run a vacuum cleaner?
A vacuum cleaner normally uses 500 watts to 2500 watts of electric energy. Although a vacuum consumes quite a high amount of electric energy, it won’t cost you a fortune to run one. This is due to the fact that vacuum cleaners are used for a very short time, mostly used for 30 minutes each day.
| Vacuum Cleaner Type | Power (Watt) | Cost Per Hour (Dollars) | Annual Cost (Dollars) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cordless & Handheld Vacuum | 200 | 0.03 | 4.86 |
| Upright Vacuum, Canister Vacuum | 500 | 0.07 | 12.15 |
| Upright Vacuum, Canister Vacuum | 800 | 0.11 | 19.43 |
| Upright Vacuum, Canister Vacuum | 1200 | 0.16 | 29.15 |
| Upright Vacuum, Canister Vacuum | 1400 | 0.19 | 34.01 |
| Barrel Vacuum | 1600 | 0.21 | 38.87 |
| Barrel Vacuum | 2000 | 0.27 | 48.59 |
| Barrel Vacuum | 2400 | 0.32 | 58.3 |
The annual cost is determined by assuming that the vacuum cleaner is used for 30 minutes each day. If you use the vacuum for more or less than 30 minutes, the annual cost will vary.
How many watts and amps is a good vacuum cleaner for the home?
Any vacuum cleaner that is powerful enough to clean any sort of dust and dirt is good enough for the home. A unit with 1400 watts and 10 amps is a good vacuum cleaner for the home.
That being said, a vacuum that consumes electric energy in the range of 500 to 2000 watts is good enough for the home.
What are the highest amp and highest watt vacuum cleaners?
The highest amp for a vacuum cleaner is 12 amps. There are no vacuum cleaners that consume more electric current than 12 amps as it is not approved. This ensures the vacuum cleaner remains safe from any accident due to high current consumption.
Then again, the highest watt a vacuum consumes is 3000 watts. However, vacuum cleaners of such high watts are quite rare. Most powerful units consume approximately 2400 watts of electric energy.
Does higher wattage mean better suction? Is a higher wattage vacuum better?
The wattage mainly means that the amount of electricity the vacuum cleaner is using. The more electric energy consumed, the more the suction power should be. Most manufacturers depict the suction power through the wattage of the vacuum.
So, a higher wattage vacuum is always better. Few other factors such as the design of the motor, condition of the filter, and nozzle design also influence the suction of the vacuum cleaner.
Can you run a vacuum cleaner on 12 amps?
The residential outlets can accommodate appliances that consume 15 amps to 20 amps electric current. So, you can run a vacuum cleaner on 12 amps without any issue.
12 amps of electric current can ensure enough power for the vacuum cleaner to remove any rough and tough dirt.
That being said, you won’t be able to get a vacuum cleaner that uses more than 12 amps even if you want to. This is because a maximum use of 12 amps is approved for vacuum cleaners by UL for the safety of your house and appliance.
Do cordless vacuum cleaners use more electricity?
The cordless vacuum cleaners are powered through a rechargeable battery. They are easier to use as you won’t have to pull a cord with the vacuum while cleaning the house. Due to the cordless technology, you might wonder if they use more electricity.
Well, they don’t consume more electricity than vacuum cleaners with cords. They only use electricity while charging the batteries. The electricity consumption of the cordless units depends on the type and capacity of the battery used.
The more powerful the battery, the more electricity the cordless vacuum cleaner will use.
Final thoughts
The vacuum cleaners use 1400 watts of energy and 12 amps of current on average. The usage of amps and watts depends on the type of vacuum. The car vacuum cleaners are compact units that consume a lower number of electric energy and current than other types of vacuums.