Why is copper used for electrical wiring? Copper is one of the most important metals that we use in our modern society.
It is a great conductor and helps to reduce power losses as electricity travels along with it.
The three main reasons why copper was chosen as the metal of choice are:
- Its conductivity,
- Non-corrosive qualities
- Availability.
Copper has been used for centuries for many purposes including jewelry making, roofing materials, and pipes.
In this blog post, we will be going over some of the benefits of using copper wire in your home or business with a focus on safety and efficiency which will hopefully help you make more informed decisions about what you want to use at your place!
Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity
In copper wire, electricity can pass through easily which will greatly reduce the amount of power lost as heat during the transfer from your source to your appliances.
This means that there is a lesser chance for you to experience a fire or other accidents due to power surges which is good news for both homeowners and business owners alike!
Conductivity aside, copper actually does have some notable qualities which makes it an excellent choice for building certain types of tools.
For example, take a look at how this image below shows how copper tubing was used in order to make these windows more energy efficient. In addition, did you know that roofs made out of Copper are actually known to last for over 100 years before they even need some type of maintenance.
Amazingly enough, it takes approximately 1/5 of the amount of energy needed for your air conditioning unit to cool down an area.
If you live in a part of the world where temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius on average, then wouldn’t it be nice to have that additional help during those hot days You certainly would not want to have your kids or pets come home from playing outside and immediately turn on the fan just so they can feel slightly more comfortable.
Copper is not as expensive as other metals and can be recycled
Many people believe that copper is a rare metal, but it is actually one of the most abundant metals found on earth.
In fact, it is estimated that there are 5 million tons of copper in the world’s supply. However, only 30% of this supply is extracted and used.
This statistic leads to an important question: if we can recycle copper so easily and use such little amounts of energy compared to other processes, why aren’t we recycling more?
It turns out that for consumers to recycle their old products made from copper, they would have to pay $1 to $5 per product.
As you probably know, recycling isn’t exactly cheap for manufacturers or consumers; however what if we were able to find a way where recycling costs less than mining?
Well, rest assured that recycling copper is less expensive when compared to the process of extracting it from the earth.
In fact, a research team in Australia has recently made an important breakthrough in this area.
They have found a way to extract pure copper from old wiring by using bacterial spores and samples of oxygen.
This study was supported by the National Geographic Society and if their methods are widely spread across society, we could see a significant increase in copper recycling.
In turn, this will decrease our demand for new resources which will help reduce the price of copper overall.
It is exciting news that we may soon be able to recycle more efficiently; however for now there are still tons of opportunities out there for us to use copper as a resource.
Conclusion
Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity. It’s not as expensive as other metals and can be recycled.
This means it will save you money on labor costs, installation fees, energy bills, maintenance needs, and long-term expenses (when compared to wiring with another metal).
If you’re looking for a quality electrician in Papakura or any Auckland suburb contact Impact Electrical! Our team is experts at electrical work who know how important it is to choose the right material when installing copper cabling. Contact us today for more information about our services.
