How many watts does a vacuum cleaner use?

By Tom Calder · Figures checked 4 November 2026 · Costs at 26.32p per kWh (Ofgem cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026)

In short

A corded vacuum cleaner first placed on the market from 1 September 2017 must be rated under 900W under ecodesign rules (Regulation 666/2013); Numatic’s Henry HVR200 is 620W. An hour costs about 16p to 24p at 26.32p per kWh, and most vacuuming takes a fraction of that.

A kettle coming to the boil beside a microwave and slow cooker in a warmly lit kitchen on a rainy evening

The numbers

Running watts: 620W to 900W
Amps at 230V (most): 3.9A
Energy an hour: 0.62 to 0.9 kWh; Rated input for an hour; most vacuuming takes far less.
Cost an hour: 16p to 24p
On a 1kWh power station: 50 minutes to 1 hour
On a 2kWh power station: 1.5 to 2.5 hours

Costs use 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem price cap's average Direct Debit electricity unit rate for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your own rate is on your bill; on a fixed or time-of-use tariff it will differ.

How it’s used, and what that costs

The vacuum cleaner ecodesign regulation (666/2013) capped rated input below 1,600W from 1 September 2014 and below 900W from 1 September 2017, for mains-powered dry vacuums; wet-and-dry, cordless, robot and central vacuums are outside those rules. Older vacuums can be rated higher.

The honest bit

Half an hour of vacuuming at 620W to 900W uses 0.31 to 0.45 kWh: pennies a week.

In a power cut: how long a power station would run it

A 1kWh power station: 50 minutes to 1 hour. A 2kWh power station: 1.5 to 2.5 hours. These use the same planning method as our power station pages: capacity × 90% usable depth × 85% inverter efficiency, divided by the load plus about 10W the unit uses itself (BLUETTI’s UK formula).

Output matters as much as capacity. The 7 units around 1kWh we list supply 1,500W to 2,000W continuously, and the 6 around 2kWh supply 2,200W to 3,000W, so check a unit’s rated output covers 900W before you rely on it.

To size one for everything you’d want to keep running, use the sizer on our power stations comparison.