JCMA Suggests “Double Wiring” to Save Electricity

Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers’ Association (JCMA) starts suggestion of “double wiring” for electricity saving. By placing a same-thick and same-long building wire in parallel with an existent building wire, conductor cross section actually doubles and current loss can be reduced. This method is adoptable to existing factories and buildings at minimum cost and short lead time. JCMA recommends “double wiring” for building wires with conductor cross section at 60-250 square millimeters.

JCMA and Japan Electric Cable Technology Center (JECTEC) had cooperatively established a new theory, to size up existing building wires for electricity saving and less CO2 emission, and had launched standardizing activities in Japan and at overseas in 2009. By replacing an existing low-voltage XLPE cable inside factories or buildings with a thicker XLPE cable with double conductor cross section, current loss is expected to almost halve and electricity can be saved by around 2%, according to the test calculation by JCMA and JECTEC.

The Japan Earthquake emerged in March 2011 and long-term electricity shortage became to be concerned in Japan. Some of domestic building wire users have suggested thicker XLPE cable adoption mainly to save electricity. Then JCMA considered “double wiring” method to utilize existent power panel and switch boards while to connect double wires with an existent terminal.

JCMA calculates total 20 billion kW/h of electricity can be saved if “double wiring” is adopted to all of domestic large-size factories and buildings. This equals to three or four 1-million kW class power plants.