Copper is one of the most versatile materials on the planet and, throughout history, it has played a key part in bringing about change, inventions, and new opportunities across society.
Despite being aware of copper’s aptitude as a plumbing and construction material, many people are less aware of how essential copper actually is to everyday life. It’s used throughout homes, hospitals, public transport, and office spaces; as well as in renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines.
So just how essential is copper to everyday life?
Homes and transport
In your home, you’ll find copper running through your walls, supplying water from your boiler to your bathroom and kitchen, powering your shower and providing hot water to your taps.
As well as being the sustainable choice for plumbing systems, copper is an everyday essential around the rest of your home. It’s found in the wiring of household electronics and appliances such as your kettle, microwave, oven, and television.
It’s also a key material for heating homes, not just in traditional central heating systems but in sustainable heating alternatives such as air source heat pumps. Many heat pumps rely on copper pipes in order to improve efficiency, as copper is a superior conductor of heat so can withstand large variations in temperature without expansion or contraction issues.
What’s more, flow rate and pressure drops must be considered when choosing which pipes to use in heat pumps. As well as having serious environmental problems, plastic pipes have a bore size which is considerably smaller than copper and a smaller internal area, which has a dramatic effect on flow characteristics. If installers select plastic pipe instead of copper without checking the size correctly, this could have a negative effect on the heat pump’s performance. It’s clear that copper is a key material for sustainable heating methods, saving consumers money and reducing their carbon footprint.
Outside of the home, copper is essential in both cars and public transport. It can be found in the wiring of electric car chargers, as well as your car’s brake lines. It’s also vital in keeping public transport running, powering our train lines and being used in the brake lines of trains and buses, ensuring vehicles start and stop safely and efficiently.
Office spaces
Copper piping is as essential in our office spaces as it is in our homes and transport systems, as it has the capability to effectively heat or cool large spaces. When supplying hot water to busy offices, copper is chosen because of its durability, reducing the risk of leaks and other plumbing problems.
In fact, copper is so durable that it is used in Sweden’s nuclear waste handling technology, where copper canisters encapsulate the radioactive waste for long-term storage. The canisters are required to keep their integrity for at least 100,000 years but are thought to last five times that time as copper ensures the safety and longevity of the solution.
As well as being found in the pipework in the ceiling above your office, copper is used in the wiring of computers, printers, and other devices that are vital in offices. Put simply, we wouldn’t be able to work without it!
Hospitals
In addition to our homes and office spaces, copper is an essential in hospitals too. It’s one of the only materials trusted to supply medical grade gases, such as oxygen, to patients’ bedsides with no leaks or contamination. Additionally, it has anti-microbial properties which help to protect the health of patients, with studies showing that it can reduce infection rates by 58%.
Our hospitals use medical grade copper to prevent contamination and bacterial growth and, at a time when hospitals are facing unprecedented demand, its use is vital in our places of care.
What makes copper an everyday essential?
Copper’s widespread usage across the home, office, and medical environments, as well as within innovations, is thanks to its ability to be infinitely recycled, without any loss of performance or properties. This ability ensures it will continue to be an everyday essential for generations to come.
Copper has been recycled and reused for as long as the material itself has been in use and there is a fully developed scrap collecting infrastructure which has existed for centuries.
When copper pipes come to the end of their life, they are taken to a scrap merchant and are recycled in their entirety. They simply go into the furnace and are melted down to form a billet of copper, which is stretched out, cut to size, and made into brand new pipes. This process does not affect the performance or properties of the new pipes – copper used once will be identical to that used 100 or 1,000,000 times.
As a result, almost half of Europe’s copper demand is being met by recycled materials and at least 65% of all copper ever produced is still in circulation today. And even in its recycled form, the material can stand large variations in temperature, with very minimal expansion or contraction issues, unlike plastic pipes.
From homes and hospitals, to transport and offices, copper is the material of the future. Thanks to its superior quality, safety, and ability to be infinitely recycled, it is playing a vital part in our everyday lives, creating a more sustainable future for everyone.
To find out more about the benefits of copper, visit www.cuspuk.com.