<P> The 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire was a notable incident triggered by poorly installed aluminum wiring . </P> <P> Aluminum building wiring for modern construction is manufactured with the newer AA - 8000 series aluminum alloy (sometimes referred to as "new technology" aluminum wiring) as specified by the industry standards such as the National Electrical Code (NEC) for wiring within a building . The use of larger gauge stranded aluminum wire (larger than #8 AWG) is fairly common in much of North America for modern residential construction . Aluminum wire is used in residential applications for lower voltage service feeders from the utility to the building . This is installed with materials and methods as specified by the local electrical utility companies . Also, larger aluminum stranded building wire made with the newer AA - 8000 series alloy of aluminum is commonly used for electrical services (e.g. service entrance conductors from the utility connection to the service breaker panel) and for larger branch circuits with higher loads such as those for sub-panels, ranges, clothes dryers and air - conditioning units as specified by local electrical building codes such as the National Electrical Code (NEC). </P> <P> In North America the use of smaller solid aluminum wires made with newer AA - 8000 series aluminum alloy are allowed to be used for lower load 15A or 20A branch circuit wiring within a building according to the National Electrical Code . The terminations need to be rated for aluminum wire, which can be problematic . This is particularly a problem with wire to wire connections made with twist - on connectors . As of 2017 most twist - on connectors for typical smaller branch circuit wire sizes, even those designed to connect copper to aluminum wiring, are not rated for aluminum - to - aluminum connections, with one exception being the Marette #63 or #65 used in Canada but not approved by UL for use in the United States . Also, the size of the aluminum wire needs to be larger compared to copper wire used for the same circuit due to the increased resistance of the aluminum alloys . For example, a 15A branch circuit supplying standard lighting fixtures can be installed with either #14 AWG copper building wire or #12 AWG aluminum building wire according to the NEC . However, smaller solid aluminum branch circuit wiring is almost never used for residential construction in North America . </P> <P> When utility grade AA - 1350 alloy aluminum wire was first used in branch circuit wiring in the early 1960s, solid aluminum wire was installed the same way as copper wire with the same electrical devices . </P>

Where is aluminum wiring used in construction today