An electric motor system has a motor having motor windings and a motor housing. The motor is a variable speed permanent magnet motor configured to drive a load which is part of a residential or commercial machine. A motor control subsystem includes a power module electrically connected to the motor windings. A common mode inductor is electrically interposed between the motor control subsystem and the motor windings so as to present a high impedance obstacle to common mode transients and to reduce an electromagnetic interference effect of an inherent capacitance of each of the motor windings. The common mode inductor is an air core inductor located substantially within the motor housing, and takes the form of additional turns added to the end of each of the motor windings.