<P> Aluminum building wiring is a type of electrical wiring for residential construction or houses that uses aluminum electrical conductors . Aluminum provides a better conductivity to weight ratio than copper, and therefore is also used for wiring power grids, including overhead power transmission lines and local power distribution lines, as well as for power wiring of some airplanes . Utility companies have used aluminum wire for electrical transmission in power grids since around the late 1800s to the early 1900s . It has cost and weight advantages over copper wires . Aluminum wire in power transmission and distribution applications is still the preferred material today . </P> <P> In North American residential construction, aluminum wire was used for wiring entire houses for a short time from the 1960s to the mid-1970s during a period of high copper prices . Electrical devices (outlets, switches, lighting, fans, etc .) at the time were not designed with the particular properties of the aluminum wire being used in mind, and there were some issues related to the properties of the wire itself, making the installations with aluminum wire much more susceptible to problems . Revised manufacturing standards for both the wire and the devices were developed to reduce the problems . Existing homes with this older aluminum wiring used in branch circuits present a potential fire hazard . </P> <P> Aluminum wire has been used as an electrical conductor for a considerable period of time, particularly by electrical utilities related to power transmission lines in use shortly after the beginning of modern power distribution systems being constructed starting in the late 1880s . Aluminum wire requires a larger wire gauge than copper wire to carry the same load or current, but is still less expensive than copper wire for a particular application . </P>

When did they use aluminum wiring in houses