Dyson and Newcastle University are redesigning the power systems inside vacuum cleaners, hairdryers, and other small household appliances to cut their electricity use and environmental waste. This matters because small domestic appliances have historically been built for low cost, not efficiency. Yet domestic electricity consumption accounts for a third of all UK usage, with roughly 1 billion appliances in UK homes alone. The annual energy consumed by these devices totals 36 TWh. Even a modest 5 percent improvement in motor efficiency would significantly reduce the load on the national grid. If this research succeeds, everyday appliances will become smaller, lighter, and more efficient—using less material to manufacture and less energy to run. The project takes a whole-system approach, optimising every component of the power system together rather than treating parts as separate bought-in units. This could reshape how manufacturers design domestic goods, embedding sustainability from the start rather than as an afterthought. The result would be lower household energy bills and a measurable reduction in the UK’s carbon footprint, without requiring consumers to change their behaviour.
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With an ever growing need to become carbon neutral as a society, and increasing concern about the harm of disposable products and the pollution they cause, the time is right to strive to change the domestic market for electrical consumer goods and deliver solutions that are more environmentally friendly and consume less energy. Dyson is well-placed to effect change in this industry with its experience in delivering efficient, lightweight power systems in collaboration with Newcastle University. Through optimisation and innovation of the power systems at their heart, Dyson has shown in recent years how vacuum cleaners and hairdryers can be made smaller, lighter and more efficient, reducing their material and energy usage. Newcastle University have been a key partner in the development of these systems and some of the key technologies that enable them; both in terms of academic contribution and in educating a significant portion of the Motor and Power Systems engineers in Dyson's Research department. Traditionally, concepts such as efficiency, sustainability, and end of life impact have not been of major concern in smaller domestic appliances, where cost was the prime concern and the power system for the product was a bought-in component. However, with 1/3 of all UK electricity consumption being attributable to domestic use and an estimated 1 billion domestic appliances in the UK alone, both the efficiency and sustainability of these appliances need urgent reflection and improvement to help drive the UK and the world towards long-term sustainability goals. In particular, the environmental impact of domestic appliances is dominated by through-life electrical power consumption, which averages an annual 36TWh in the UK, thus even a modest 5% improvement in energy conversion efficiency (which we believe is achievable through improvements in motor efficiency alone) would represent a significant saving in grid generation requirement. We will achieve our goal of improving the energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact of domestic products through a whole-systems-level integrated approach in which all subcomponents of the power system are considered, designed and optimised simultaneously. Additionally the typical modes of operation of the end appliances will be incorporated into the design procedure to maximise performance and efficiency gains at the most common (and therefore most important) operating points.
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