The price of electricity and raw materials has already had an impact on the cost of water, from January 1, 2023, the cost of water in France will rise sharply, and in some areas may be close to 20% of the original increase.
Electricity and raw materials, although not often contacted in daily life, but the use of electricity is closely related to people's lives.
First of all, in terms of cables, there are many types of raw materials for cables.
The general structure of the cable is divided into conductors, insulation, sheathing, etc. Some special cables may also have an armor layer.
The most commonly used conductor materials for cables are copper and aluminum, called copper wire and aluminum wire respectively.
Low electrical resistance
The resistivity of copper wire cable is about 1.68 times lower than that of aluminum wire cable, so the conductivity and thermal conductivity of copper wire is better than aluminum wire, and the electric loss is lower.
Ductility is good
The ductility of copper alloy is 20~40%, and the ductility of copper for an electrician is more than 30%, while the aluminum alloy is only 18%.
Fatigue resistance
Aluminum is easy to break when bent repeatedly, while copper is not easy to be folded. In terms of elasticity index, copper wire is also about 1.7~1.8 times higher than aluminum wire.
Good stability and corrosion resistance
Copper wire oxidation, corrosion resistance, and longer service life, while the aluminum wire is susceptible to oxidation and corrosion.
The maximum safe energizing current of copper wire is higher than that of aluminum wire.
Aluminum wire is cheaper and more economical.
Aluminum wire cable is very light, the weight of aluminum wire cable is 40% of copper wire cable, and construction and transportation are low cost.
Resistant to oxidation and corrosion
Aluminum reacts with oxygen in the air to quickly generate an oxide film, which prevents further oxidation.
So the aluminum wire is a high voltage, large cross-section, large span of overhead transmission must be selected materials, but used as a low-voltage line these advantages no longer exist.
The sheathing and insulation of cables are generally available in a variety of materials, the most commonly used being XLPE, PVC, and PE.
XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) plastic granules, there are two main types of XLPE plastic granules as follows.
One kind is called silane cross-linking material with silane as a cross-linking agent, which is mainly used to make the insulation layer of low-voltage wires and cables.
The other type uses diisopropyl peroxide as the cross-linking agent and is mainly used to make the insulation layer of medium and high-voltage cables.
PVC plastic pellets are made by adding various additives (such as antioxidants, brighteners, flame retardants, antioxidants, etc.) based on PVC resin, which is one of the necessary raw materials for wire and cable.
PE plastic granules are made of refined ethylene polymerization, which has excellent insulation resistance, voltage strength, abrasion resistance, heat aging resistance, low-temperature performance, chemical stability, water resistance, and other excellent properties.
Data from the Observatory of Public Water Services Data show that the average price of water in France is currently 4.14 euros per cubic meter, with prices ranging from 3 euros to more than 6 euros everywhere.
A family of three consumes about 120 cubic meters of water per year, at an average price of 496.80 euros.
Water tariffs are currently considered and decided by each local government council.
At the end of 2022, water unions and local councils have voted in favor of a price increase, which could be as high as 15-20%, depending on the region.
Brittany, Normandy, and certain provinces in the Hauts-de-France region, such as Picardy or Nord-Pas-de-Calais, will see the highest increases.
According to information from Le Parisien, water prices will increase by 11% in Thouars, Deux-Sèvres.
In the northern department of Roubaix it reaches 9.5% and in Clermont-Ferrand 10%.
The price of water in the city of Paris will increase by 7.56%, from 3.57 euros to 3.84 euros per cubic meter, and without service charges.
Although this year is the most increase in water prices in the city of Paris, in fact, the price of water has been rising for so many years.
From 2.93 euros per cubic meter in 2010 to 3.57 euros per cubic meter in 2022, the price of water in Paris has increased by 22%.
The increase in Charleville-Mézières in the Ardennes could reach 13%.
Mayor Boris Ravignon explained that the cost of running water is pushed up because electricity costs have quadrupled, from 98 euros per megawatt hour in 2021 to 428 euros in 2023.
Inflation has caused all costs to rise in France, and tap water is certainly not immune.
Water is an energy-intensive industry that requires electricity.
In addition, the cost of using chlorine, which is used to purify tap water, has risen significantly.
The increased costs are also related to the fact that many areas have to maintain or replace their water mains works.
Other factors include increased distribution costs and reduced availability.
Many regions in France experienced prolonged droughts in 2022 and declining water supplies.
According to the Ministry of Ecological Transformation, by November 2022, 48 French departments will still have water restrictions due to drought.
Of these, 23 departments are in crisis, 10 more are on drought alert, and only 38 of the 96 departments on the mainland have no water restrictions.
In addition to domestic customers, professionals will also have to face a surge in water bills.
Agriculture is the main water-consuming activity, accounting for 45% of total water use, ahead of 31% for cooling in power stations, and households account for 21% of total consumption in France.
The rise in water charges will further hit French household budgets.
Thierry Gallaudet, president of the Anjou water union, admitted, "It's a disaster for consumers because the price of everything is soaring, but we can't leave customers without running water."
The rise in water rates is directly linked to the rise in raw materials for power cables.
A few days ago all over the world about to or has stepped into the natural resource constraints, how to go to open source and save money from the root of the problem, will become the primary consideration among countries in the next few decades.