Vacuum on solar: canister, stick or robot — what each uses
Vacuums see few hours a month but pull big watts. Consumption breakdown: canister, cordless stick and robot.
Old canister vacuums pulled 2000 W. Modern ones cap at 900 W. Cordless sticks charge 30 Wh per session. Robots: 50 Wh per full cleaning.
Real consumption by type
Bagged canister: 800-1500 W. 30 min = 0.5 kWh. Bagless (Dyson Cinetic): 1200 W. Cordless stick (Dyson V15, Roborock): 70-100 Wh battery, 1.5 h charge. Robot (Roomba, Roborock): 25 W vacuuming, 90 Wh battery, 1-2 h session.
How many panels
Vacuum 3×/week 30 min = 1.5 kWh/week = 78 kWh/year. Any small solar system covers it. Don't vacuum at night on lithium battery: pointless punishment.
Robot trick
Schedule robot at 1 PM daily. Charges in sun, cleans in sun. Zero battery impact. Save 30 min of housework and use surplus.
Cordless stick: most solar-friendly
Charge stick battery at noon. 90 Wh per charge, 3-4 charges/week = 360 Wh/wk = 19 kWh/year. Most efficient option. When in doubt, cordless stick is the off-grid bet.
Combine with other small appliances.
Want to know how much energy your appliances use? Calculate it here.
Open calculator