#reduced utility bills

[hsmagazine254]

Bright Ideas: Harnessing LED Lights in Construction

Illuminating Your Space, Saving Your Wallet Discover the innovative use of LED lights in construction, not only to illuminate spaces but also to significantly reduce monthly running costs, making your home more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Benefits of LED Lights in Construction 1. Energy Efficiency LED lights consume significantly less energy than traditional lighting options,…

[xerserise]

Check to see if your utility companies offer discounts for being poor.

I just got 25% off my gas bill for the next two years. My electric provider has a similar program, and I'm going to be signing up for that next.

If you can't find information directly from your utility providers, check with local community action agencies for assistance.

[cazort]

Piece of financial advice, because I've seen too many people make this mistake: never pay off medical debt on a credit card unless you are 100% sure you will be able to pay the credit card balance off in full as soon as you get the first bill. Why? It is ALWAYS better to have medical debt than credit card debt. There is a long list of reasons why.

State and federal laws severely restrict medical debt in ways that credit card debt is not restricted.

Credit card debt can charge much higher interest rates, and in general it IS much higher in rate. Medical debt sometimes charges no interest, at least for a certain period of time. When it does charge interest, the rate is lower, and in some states it is capped as low as 5%, always at 20% or lower. Credit card interest rates are almost never below 15% and are sometimes MUCH higher than 20%.

Medical debt is less damaging to your credit history than credit card debt. And it is easier to eliminate in bankruptcy.

Medical debt also does not affect your spending limits on a credit card. If you use a credit card for monthly expenses, adding medical debt to it can bring you closer to your credit limit which might make you unable to use the card for expenses (even ones you could afford to pay off immediately.) This negatively affects your credit rating through increasing your credit utilization, it can reduce your potential to earn rewards, and it can reduce your spending power in an emergency.

Also, the penalties and fees for deliquency on medical debt are much milder and those for credit card debt are more severe. Again, laws are more restrictive on medical debt. You will have far fewer fees or penalties going delinquent on medical debt.

Also it is often easier to get medical debt forgiven or negotiated down, than credit card debt,

If you ever end up with medical debt, keep it as medical debt and keep paying it as medical debt. Go delinquent on your medical debt before switching it to a credit card. Once you put it on a credit card, you can't go back.

By keeping your medical debt as medical debt, you save money, protect your credit history, and increase your chances of having the debt forgiven, negotiated down, or eliminated through bankruptcy.

NEVER CONVERT MEDICAL DEBT TO CREDIT CARD DEBT.

[cheapenergyuk]

Cheap Energy Service UK - Switch my Utilities UK 2023

Switching energy suppliers isn't just about finding the cheapest deal. You need a tariff that's right for your home, your family and your lifestyle. Cheap Energy UK provides Cheap Energy Service UK. Get in touch today for Best Energy Deals UK. Quote Today!

[dryerventcleaningmansfieldtx]

Dryer Vent Cleaning Mansfield TX

Cleaning the dryer vent a plantation in Siena Texas is only known for its expertise in dryer cleaning. We only aim to provide flawless services. Our tools and technical staff are exclusively equipped to clean dryer vents. Because we use specially sophisticated cleaning techniques, we rank among the best. We arrive prepared to address all of your dryer's problems, not simply clean the dryer vent.

service : Dryer Lint Removal Clean Home Dryer Vents Home Dryer Vent Cleaners dryer duct cleaning near me ac duct cleaning near me duct cleaning Address : 11032 County Rd 510, Venus, TX 76084, USA Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM To 6 PM  - Saturday & Sunday: 9 AM To 6 PM payment methods: American Express Cash Discover Mastercard Visa Our website : https://dryerventcleaningmansfieldtx.com/ Call us : 682-214-4297

Our Locations:76063 76065 76084 76001 76002 76003 76004 76005 76006 76007

[dryerventcleaninggrandprairi]

Dryer Vent Cleaning Grand Prairie TXdryer vent cleaning grand prairie TX is the premiere dryer vent cleaner in Texas. We give you the best service and will not charge you a high price to get it. That is why we are considered the best of the best at what we do.

Our Services :

Home Dryer Vent Cleaning

Removing Build Up Lint

Fix Clogged Vents

Clean Dryer Hose

Cleaning Dryer Vent Inside Wall

Prevent Dryer Over Heating

Hours : Available From 6:00 am to 7:00 pm

Address : 2810 Mayfield Rd, Grand Prairie, TX 75052

Payment:

American Express        

Cash        

Discover        

MasterCard        

Visa

call us : (972) 863-2374

website : https://dryerventcleaninggrandprairietx.com/

Our Locations : 76063 76065 76084 76001 76002 76003 76004 76005 76006 76007

[airductcleaningwylietx]

Air Duct Cleaning Wylie TX 

Is your indoor air finally getting to the point where it's no longer tolerable? We're here if you're trying to find out the ideal method to manage these types of situations and you're ready to have the best on your side. You'll never be without the best helpers in the business when you work with +Air Duct Cleaning  Wylie  of  Texas 

our services 

Duct Vent Cleaning

Remove Dust and Debris

Air Vent Cleaners

Cleaning Home Air Vents

Removing Duct Mold

Ductwork Cleaning

Commercial Duct Cleaning

Office Air Vent Cleaning

Home Furnace Cleaning

Reduce Utility Bills

Prevent Kids Allergies

UV Light Installation

Our Locations : 75002 75098 75166 75173 75407

[it-la-technical-support]

Introduction The advent of home automation systems has transformed our living spaces into dynamic environments that adapt to our needs. The rise of smart home automation has made our daily routines more streamlined, energy-conscious, and secure. But with a myriad of choices out there, how do you craft the ideal smart home system that caters to your unique needs? Let's navigate the fascinating world of home control and automation to help you make an enlightened choice. Decoding Home Automation Systems At its essence, a home automation system empowers you to control various aspects of your home environment - from lighting and temperature to security systems and appliances - all through a unified interface. This could be a dedicated panel mounted on your wall, a smartphone app, or even voice commands via devices like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. The Advantages of Smart Home Automation The benefits of smart home automation are extensive. For starters, it offers unmatched convenience. Picture adjusting the temperature, dimming the lights, or monitoring your security cameras, all without having to move an inch. Furthermore, home automation systems can significantly boost your home's energy efficiency. With features like automated lighting, intelligent thermostats, and energy-efficient appliances, you can cut down on energy usage and reduce your utility bills. Crafting the Ideal Smart Home System When it comes to crafting the ideal smart home system, it's crucial to consider your specific needs and lifestyle. Are you looking to focus on security, energy efficiency, convenience, or a blend of these? Begin by selecting a reliable and user-friendly home control interface. This could be a smartphone app, a voice assistant, or a wall-mounted panel. Next, choose the devices and systems you wish to automate. These could range from lighting and HVAC systems to security cameras and smart locks. Remember, the ideal smart home system is one that integrates seamlessly with your lifestyle, enhances your comfort, and caters to your specific needs. Conclusion In the age of intelligent technology, home automation systems are not just a luxury but a valuable asset for enhancing our daily lives. By understanding your needs and exploring the available options, you can craft the ideal smart home system that offers convenience, security, and energy efficiency. Welcome to the future of home living.

[911dryerventcleaningrichards]

911 DRYER VENT CLEANING RICHARDSON TX

Do you want to keep your home safe and prevent fire hazards? You have to contact our professionals! We are near you and will clean your dryer vent on the same day.Lint is the main problem for most Dryer Vent damages. Save your family from severe injuries by getting it removed.

Our Services :

Prevent Dryer Fires

Build Up Lint Removal

Increase Dryer Efficiency

Save Your Time and Money

Reduce Dryer Overheating

Hours : We Are Available 6 AM : 7 PM

address : 400 International Pkwy Richardson, TX

Payment:

American Express        

Cash        

Discover        

MasterCard        

Visa

call us : (469) 251-2936

website : https://911dryerventcleaningrichardson.com/

Our Locations : 76063 76065 76084 76001 76002 76003 76004 76005 76006 76007

[electronalytics]

Sub-Meters Market Outlook on Key Growth Trends, Factors and Forecast 2032

The sub-meters market refers to the industry involved in the production, sale, and distribution of sub-meters. Sub-meters are electrical meters that are installed on individual circuits within a building, allowing for the measurement and monitoring of energy consumption on a more granular level than traditional utility meters.

The sub-meters market has grown in recent years due to increasing awareness of the importance of energy efficiency and the need for accurate measurement and monitoring of energy consumption in buildings. Sub-meters are commonly used in commercial, industrial, and residential settings to track energy usage, identify inefficiencies, and make informed decisions about energy conservation measures.

Factors driving the growth of the sub-meters market include increasing demand for energy-efficient solutions, government regulations aimed at reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, and the need for accurate measurement and billing of energy usage in multi-tenant buildings. However, the market also faces challenges such as competition from traditional utility meters and high installation costs for sub-meters in some cases.

Click Here, To Get Free Sample Report : https://stringentdatalytics.com/sample-request/sub-meters-market/551/

Market Segmentations: Global Sub-Meters Market: By Company • E-Mon • Leviton • Schneider Electric • ABB • Itron • GE Digital Energy • Siemens • Kamstrup • DAE • DOE • Davidge Controls • EKM Metering • Dent • Norgas • nextcenturymeters • Safari • Fineco • ONICON • Gomelong • Eastron Global Sub-Meters Market: By Type • Electric Submeter • Water Submeter • Gas Submeter • Heat & BTU Submeter Global Sub-Meters Market: By Application • Residential Application • Commercial Application • Industrial Application Global Sub-Meters Market: Regional Analysis All the regional segmentation has been studied based on recent and future trends, and the market is forecasted throughout the prediction period. The countries covered in the regional analysis of the Global Sub-Meters market report are U.S., Canada, and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Rest of Europe in Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Argentina, Brazil, and Rest of South America as part of South America.

Visit Report Page for More Details :  https://stringentdatalytics.com/reports/sub-meters-market/551/

Reasons to Purchase Sub-Meters Market Report: • To gain insights into market trends and dynamics: this reports provide valuable insights into industry trends and dynamics, including market size, growth rates, and key drivers and challenges. • To identify key players and competitors: this research reports can help businesses identify key players and competitors in their industry, including their market share, strategies, and strengths and weaknesses. • To understand consumer behavior: this research reports can provide valuable insights into consumer behavior, including their preferences, purchasing habits, and demographics. • To evaluate market opportunities: this research reports can help businesses evaluate market opportunities, including potential new products or services, new markets, and emerging trends. • To make informed business decisions: this research reports provide businesses with data-driven insights that can help them make informed business decisions, including strategic planning, product development, and marketing and advertising strategies. Overall, market research reports provide businesses and organizations with valuable information that can help them make informed decisions and stay competitive in their industry. They can provide a solid foundation for business planning, strategy development, and decision-making.

Click Here, To Buy Premium Report: https://stringentdatalytics.com/purchase/sub-meters-market/551/?license=single

About US:

Stringent Datalytics offers both custom and syndicated market research reports. Custom market research reports are tailored to a specific client's needs and requirements. These reports provide unique insights into a particular industry or market segment and can help businesses make informed decisions about their strategies and operations.

Syndicated market research reports, on the other hand, are pre-existing reports that are available for purchase by multiple clients. These reports are often produced on a regular basis, such as annually or quarterly, and cover a broad range of industries and market segments. Syndicated reports provide clients with insights into industry trends, market sizes, and competitive landscapes. By offering both custom and syndicated reports, Stringent Datalytics can provide clients with a range of market research solutions that can be customized to their specific needs.

Contact US:

Stringent Datalytics

Contact No - 91-9763384149

Email Id -  sales@stringentdatalytics.com

Web - https://stringentdatalytics.com/

[planotxdryerventcleaning]

Plano TX Dryer Vent Cleaning

Are you looking for dryer vent cleaners who know exactly how to get your drying machine cleaned up? If so, then we think we may have a solution for you. We are proud to announce that Dryer Vent Cleaning Plano Texas is a professional company who is ready to come into your home today to get your dryers cleaned for you.

our services :

Home Dryer Vent Cleaners

Clean Clogged Vents

Decrease Utility Bills

Increase Dryer Efficiency

Dryer Vent Cleaning Services

Professional Dryer Lint Removal

Hours : Mon To Fri: 8 AM To 7 PM - Sat & Sun: 10 AM To 5 PM

Address : 1200 E Parker Rd - Plano, TX 75074

Payment :

American Express        

Cash        

Discover        

MasterCard        

Visa

call us : 469-269-2666

website : http://planodryerventcleaning.com/

Our Locations : 75023 75024 75025 75026 75034 75074 75075 75084 75086

[dryerventcleaningirvingtx]

Dryer Vent Cleaning Plano TX

Our services also help you save money by making your machine work faster. When lint buildup slows it down the machine uses more electricity to dry your laundry and continues to drain your pocket. If you want to Prevent Dryer Fires let our Dryer Vent Cleaning Plano Texas do this clearing up job and get your machine breathing again 

our services :

Home Dryer Vent Cleaners

Clean Clogged Vents

Decrease Utility Bills

Increase Dryer Efficiency

Dryer Vent Cleaning Services Professional Dryer Lint Removal

Hours : Working All days From 6 AM to 7 PM

Address : 1500 E 15th St Plano, TX 75074

Payment :

American Express        

Cash        

Discover     

MasterCard        

Visa

call us : 972-348-0959

website : https://dryerventcleaningofplano.com

Our Locations : 75126 75149 75150 75181 75185 75187 75228

[solarmorrigan]

Wrote this a while ago for I think an Angsty August prompt but never posted it. Stumbled across it a few days ago and realized I actually liked it, so here it is

Rated: T | Words: 935 | CW: Anxiety attack | Tags: hurt/comfort, Eddie Munson needs a hug, Steve Harrington has chronic pain, Eddie Munson takes care of Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson loves Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington loves Eddie Munson, the stress and imperfection of caring for someone with a chronic illness

-

There are bills. There are always fucking bills – a pile of them lying on the kitchen table where Eddie sits now, head hanging, hair clenched in his fists as he tries to breathe.

He’s pulling so hard that he’s giving himself a headache, and it nearly makes him laugh, but he refrains. He gets the feeling that if he starts, he might not stop – he’ll get louder and louder, maybe get a little hysterical, and then he’ll disturb Steve, who’s currently laid up with the mother of all headaches. Eddie’s little tension headache pales in comparison to the might of the migraine.

At least it’s Saturday. Steve hadn’t had to miss another shift, and Eddie is free to stay home and keep him company. Not that there’s much Eddie can do; he takes another shaking breath, trying to burst the band of anxiety wrapped tight around his chest, but his thoughts keep racing.

The envelopes piled on the table stare back at him as he blinks watery eyes down at his placemat, rent and utilities and medical bills all crying out for payment. Eddie’s job is barely enough to keep them afloat, and Steve – he helps as much as he can. His new job doesn’t pay as much as his last had, but fewer and more flexible hours reduce the chances he’ll get fired after calling out one too many times (like his last job).

(And Eddie can admit, if only in the privacy of his own head, to some frustrated, bitter thoughts in his weaker moments, wondering why Steve can’t just push through his pain like Eddie does. There are days when Eddie’s scars act up, when his body aches and he wants nothing more than to stay in bed, but he doesn’t.

But then he sees the results of Steve “pushing through it” – ignoring the way his whole body hurts, moving until he physically can’t anymore, until even breathing feels painful. Shoving off the impending signs of a migraine until they get mornings like this one: vomiting and stuttering and auras, sitting on the bathroom floor until Eddie can coax him back to bed.

He sees it, sees how much it kills Steve that he can’t do more, and feels ashamed.)

It isn’t just the bills weighing on Eddie’s mind, though. More even than money trouble—something with which Eddie at least has experience—it’s Steve that’s scaring him the most. The days when he’s overwhelmed by pain or by exhaustion, by fogginess and migraines, seem to be increasing, and Eddie doesn’t know what to do.

Scrape together enough money to go see another specialist who will tell them shit they already know and recommend treatments they can’t afford?

(Eddie would. If Steve’s doctor gave him yet another referral, Eddie would find a way to make it work. He’s just not sure anymore that it would help.)

He hates feeling useless. Hates sitting by, unable to do a damn thing, unable to solve the problem, stuck in place just like he had been in high school, dead weight, no good to anybody–

A rustling of sheets followed by a quiet groan reaches Eddie’s ears from the bedroom, snapping him from his spiral.

He sits up, then, releasing his hair and rubbing his hands over his cheeks, catching any stray moisture from beneath his eyes. He takes a few deep breaths, shaking less now, and stands from the table. There is one thing he can do, and even if it doesn’t feel like enough, Eddie is going to do it.

The bedroom is dim, curtains drawn over east-facing windows that blessedly get less light in the afternoon. The bed is a wreck of pillows and sheets, moved around or cast aside in an effort to alleviate the pain, to warm up or stay cool through a fluctuating body temperature. Steve lies in the middle of it all, turned now to face the door, one arm stretched over the empty space where Eddie had been.

His eyes are closed, but Eddie’s pretty sure he’s awake – sure enough, he pulls his arm back as soon as the bed dips under Eddie’s weight. Eddie slides back beneath the sheets and takes Steve’s hand with a gentle squeeze.

“Hey.”

Steve hums, eyes still closed, squeezing Eddie’s hand back. “Where’d you go?”

“Just got up to stretch my legs,” Eddie answers (it’s an easy lie, one Eddie feels no guilt over, because it’s better than explaining that he’d gotten up to avoid waking Steve with the anxiety attack that had built in his chest the longer he’d lain in the silence of their bedroom, watching the furrow between Steve’s brows that made him look pained even in his sleep).

After a moment, Steve’s eyes flutter open, searching Eddie’s face. Whatever he finds there makes his frown deepen.

“Kinda ruined our weekend, huh?” he says quietly. “’m sorry you’re stuck with me like this.”

“Don’t,” Eddie says lowly. “Never apologize. I’m not stuck with you, I love you.” He leans up, presses a kiss to Steve’s forehead, and Steve sighs.

He takes their joined hands and brings them to his lips, kissing the back of Eddie’s. “I love you, too,” he murmurs against Eddie’s skin.

“You need anything?” Eddie asks, before he really settles in.

Steve makes a noise in the negative. “Just you,” he says, lips still brushing Eddie’s hand. “That’s enough.”

Eddie can’t help the overwhelmed tears that well up in his eyes again. This is enough – they’re enough. As long as Eddie has Steve, they can figure the rest out together.

And that will always be enough.

[cheapenergyuk]

Looking for the Cheaper UK Broadband Solutions? Visit Cheap Energy UK!

In today's digital landscape, high-speed and reliable internet connectivity has become a crucial foundation for businesses and individuals. The rising demand for remote work, data consumption, entertainment, and online education has increased the requirement for efficient and Cheaper UK Broadband solutions. Broadband is positioned as a game-changer, providing affordable connectivity without sacrificing performance because of the convergence of savings and speed.

Choose Cheaper UK Broadband to Save Money

Cheaper UK Mobile broadband solutions meet the needs of both enterprises and consumers on a tight budget. Conventional broadband choices, including DSL and cable, are more reasonably priced than specialized connections. These solutions are less expensive to install and maintain since they use already existing infrastructure. Furthermore, broadband service providers frequently bundle their offers with reasonably priced plans that meet a range of usage needs to guarantee that customers only pay for the amount of service they use.

The economics of high-speed internet have changed even more with the advent of fibre-optic broadband. The long-term advantages of fibre infrastructure greatly exceed the initial expenses, even if it may require a larger initial expenditure. Fibre provides unmatched dependability and speed, lowering the requirement for frequent upgrades and repairs, which leads to lower operational expenses over time.

Enhance Productivity and Innovation with highspeed

The speed of affordable broadband options is no longer a trade-off. The fast internet has come to be associated with efficiency, creativity, and productivity. Faster upload and download rates enable people to collaborate on projects more easily, use cloud-based apps, and continuously stream high-definition material. This translates businesses into more efficient processes, better customer experiences, and increased communication.

Fast and dependable internet access has shown to be essential in the corporate world for remote work and virtual communication. To ensure smooth interactions, a stable internet connection is necessary for cloud-based file sharing, video conferencing, and real-time data synchronization. With more companies embracing flexible work arrangements, broadband speed is becoming vital for increasing productivity. Look for the Switch Energy Supplier UK for high-speed data connection.

Let’s Choose Economical Broadband Solutions!

It's important to weigh savings and speed while choosing the best broadband option. Factors including your location, usage habits, and particular needs are important when deciding. Examine your options, such as fibre-optic internet, cable, and DSL, to see the best fit. These tips will help you to receive Cheaper Bills UK.

Conclusion

The combination of speed and savings has changed the internet market, whether users are looking for smooth streaming experiences for themselves or businesses are trying to maximize their operations. Adopting these Cheap Energy UK solutions presents the chance to open up a world of possibilities where affordable connectivity meets high-speed ambitions as technology develops.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Cleantech has an enshittification problem

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

EVs won't save the planet. Ultimately, the material bill for billions of individual vehicles and the unavoidable geometry of more cars-more traffic-more roads-greater distances-more cars dictate that the future of our cities and planet requires public transit – lots of it.

But no matter how much public transit we install, there's always going to be some personal vehicles on the road, and not just bikes, ebikes and scooters. Between deliveries, accessibility, and stubbornly low-density regions, there's going to be a lot of cars, vans and trucks on the road for the foreseeable future, and these should be electric.

Beyond that irreducible minimum of personal vehicles, there's the fact that individuals can't install their own public transit system; in places that lack the political will or means to create working transit, EVs are a way for people to significantly reduce their personal emissions.

In policy circles, EV adoption is treated as a logistical and financial issue, so governments have focused on making EVs affordable and increasing the density of charging stations. As an EV owner, I can affirm that affordability and logistics were important concerns when we were shopping for a car.

But there's a third EV problem that is almost entirely off policy radar: enshittification.

An EV is a rolling computer in a fancy case with a squishy person inside of it. While this can sound scary, there are lots of cool implications for this. For example, your EV could download your local power company's tariff schedule and preferentially charge itself when the rates are lowest; they could also coordinate with the utility to reduce charging when loads are peaking. You can start them with your phone. Your repair technician can run extensive remote diagnostics on them and help you solve many problems from the road. New features can be delivered over the air.

That's just for starters, but there's so much more in the future. After all, the signal virtue of a digital computer is its flexibility. The only computer we know how to make is the Turing complete, universal, Von Neumann machine, which can run every valid program. If a feature is computationally tractable – from automated parallel parking to advanced collision prevention – it can run on a car.

The problem is that this digital flexibility presents a moral hazard to EV manufacturers. EVs are designed to make any kind of unauthorized, owner-selected modification into an IP rights violation ("IP" in this case is "any law that lets me control the conduct of my customers or competitors"):

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

EVs are also designed so that the manufacturer can unilaterally exert control over them or alter their operation. EVs – even more than conventional vehicles – are designed to be remotely killswitched in order to help manufacturers and dealers pressure people into paying their car notes on time:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

Manufacturers can reach into your car and change how much of your battery you can access:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/edison-not-tesla/#demon-haunted-world

They can lock your car and have it send its location to a repo man, then greet him by blinking its lights, honking its horn, and pulling out of its parking space:

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/03/18/tesla-allegedly-remotely-unlocks-model-3-owners-car-uses-smart-summon-to-help-repo-agent/

And of course, they can detect when you've asked independent mechanic to service your car and then punish you by degrading its functionality:

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2024/06/26/two-of-eight-claims-in-tesla-anti-trust-lawsuit-will-move-forward/

This is "twiddling" – unilaterally and irreversibly altering the functionality of a product or service, secure in the knowledge that IP law will prevent anyone from twiddling back by restoring the gadget to a preferred configuration:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

The thing is, for an EV, twiddling is the best case scenario. As bad as it is for the company that made your EV to change how it works whenever they feel like picking your pocket, that's infinitely preferable to the manufacturer going bankrupt and bricking your car.

That's what just happened to owners of Fisker EVs, cars that cost $40-70k. Cars are long-term purchases. An EV should last 12-20 years, or even longer if you pay to swap the battery pack. Fisker was founded in 2016 and shipped its first Ocean SUV in 2023. The company is now bankrupt:

https://insideevs.com/news/723669/fisker-inc-bankruptcy-chapter-11-official/

Fisker called its vehicles "software-based cars" and they weren't kidding. Without continuous software updates and server access, those Fisker Ocean SUVs are turning into bricks. What's more, the company designed the car from the ground up to make any kind of independent service and support into a felony, by wrapping the whole thing in overlapping layers of IP. That means that no one can step in with a module that jailbreaks the Fisker and drops in an alternative firmware that will keep the fleet rolling.

This is the third EV risk – not just finance, not just charger infrastructure, but the possibility that any whizzy, cool new EV company will go bust and brick your $70k cleantech investment, irreversibly transforming your car into 5,500 lb worth of e-waste.

This confers a huge advantage onto the big automakers like VW, Kia, Ford, etc. Tesla gets a pass, too, because it achieved critical mass before people started to wise up to the risk of twiddling and bricking. If you're making a serious investment in a product you expect to use for 20 years, are you really gonna buy it from a two-year old startup with six months' capital in the bank?

The incumbency advantage here means that the big automakers won't have any reason to sink a lot of money into R&D, because they won't have to worry about hungry startups with cool new ideas eating their lunches. They can maintain the cozy cartel that has seen cars stagnate for decades, with the majority of "innovation" taking the form of shitty, extractive and ill-starred ideas like touchscreen controls and an accelerator pedal that you have to rent by the month:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/23/23474969/mercedes-car-subscription-faster-acceleration-feature-price

Put that way, it's clear that this isn't an EV problem, it's a cleantech problem. Cleantech has all the problems of EVs: it requires a large capital expenditure, it will be "smart," and it is expected to last for decades. That's rooftop solar, heat-pumps, smart thermostat sensor arrays, and home storage batteries.

And just as with EVs, policymakers have focused on infrastructure and affordability without paying any attention to the enshittification risks. Your rooftop solar will likely be controlled via a Solaredge box – a terrible technology that stops working if it can't reach the internet for a protracted period (that's right, your home solar stops working if the grid fails!).

I found this out the hard way during the covid lockdowns, when Solaredge terminated its 3G cellular contract and notified me that I would have to replace the modem in my system or it would stop working. This was at the height of the supply-chain crisis and there was a long waiting list for any replacement modems, with wifi cards (that used your home internet rather than a cellular connection) completely sold out for most of a year.

There are good reasons to connect rooftop solar arrays to the internet – it's not just so that Solaredge can enshittify my service. Solar arrays that coordinate with the grid can make it much easier and safer to manage a grid that was designed for centralized power production and is being retrofitted for distributed generation, one roof at a time.

But when the imperatives of extraction and efficiency go to war, extraction always wins. After all, the Solaredge system is already in place and solar installers are largely ignorant of, and indifferent to, the reasons that a homeowner might want to directly control and monitor their system via local controls that don't roundtrip through the cloud.

Somewhere in the hindbrain of any prospective solar purchaser is the experience with bricked and enshittified "smart" gadgets, and the knowledge that anything they buy from a cool startup with lots of great ideas for improving production, monitoring, and/or costs poses the risk of having your 20 year investment bricked after just a few years – and, thanks to the extractive imperative, no one will be able to step in and restore your ex-solar array to good working order.

I make the majority of my living from books, which means that my pay is very "lumpy" – I get large sums when I publish a book and very little in between. For many years, I've used these payments to make big purchases, rather than financing them over long periods where I can't predict my income. We've used my book payments to put in solar, then an induction stove, then a battery. We used one to buy out the lease on our EV. And just a month ago, we used the money from my upcoming Enshittification book to put in a heat pump (with enough left over to pay for a pair of long-overdue cataract surgeries, scheduled for the fall).

When we started shopping for heat pumps, it was clear that this was a very exciting sector. First of all, heat pumps are kind of magic, so efficient and effective it's almost surreal. But beyond the basic tech – which has been around since the late 1940s – there is a vast ferment of cool digital features coming from exciting and innovative startups.

By nature, I'm the kid of person who likes these digital features. I started out as a computer programmer, and while I haven't written production code since the previous millennium, I've been in and around the tech industry for my whole adult life. But when it came time to buy a heat-pump – an investment that I expected to last for 20 years or more – there was no way I was going to buy one of these cool new digitally enhanced pumps, no matter how much the reviewers loved them. Sure, they'd work well, but it's precisely because I'm so knowledgeable about high tech that I could see that they would fail very, very badly.

You may think EVs are bullshit, and they are – though there will always be room for some personal vehicles, and it's better for people in transit deserts to drive EVs than gas-guzzlers. You may think rooftop solar is a dead-end and be all-in on utility scale solar (I think we need both, especially given the grid-disrupting extreme climate events on our horizon). But there's still a wide range of cleantech – induction tops, heat pumps, smart thermostats – that are capital intensive, have a long duty cycle, and have good reasons to be digitized and networked.

Take home storage batteries: your utility can push its rate card to your battery every time they change their prices, and your battery can use that information to decide when to let your house tap into the grid, and when to switch over to powering your home with the solar you've stored up during the day. This is a very old and proven pattern in tech: the old Fidonet BBS network used a version of this, with each BBS timing its calls to other nodes to coincide with the cheapest long-distance rates, so that messages for distant systems could be passed on:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FidoNet

Cleantech is a very dynamic sector, even if its triumphs are largely unheralded. There's a quiet revolution underway in generation, storage and transmission of renewable power, and a complimentary revolution in power-consumption in vehicles and homes:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/12/s-curve/#anything-that-cant-go-on-forever-eventually-stops

But cleantech is too important to leave to the incumbents, who are addicted to enshittification and planned obsolescence. These giant, financialized firms lack the discipline and culture to make products that have the features – and cost savings – to make them appealing to the very wide range of buyers who must transition as soon as possible, for the sake of the very planet.

It's not enough for our policymakers to focus on financing and infrastructure barriers to cleantech adoption. We also need a policy-level response to enshittification.

Ideally, every cleantech device would be designed so that it was impossible to enshittify – which would also make it impossible to brick:

Based on free software (best), or with source code escrowed with a trustee who must release the code if the company enters administration (distant second-best);

All patents in a royalty-free patent-pool (best); or in a trust that will release them into a royalty-free pool if the company enters administration (distant second-best);

No parts-pairing or other DRM permitted (best); or with parts-pairing utilities available to all parties on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis (distant second-best);

All diagnostic and error codes in the public domain, with all codes in the clear within the device (best); or with decoding utilities available on demand to all comers on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis (distant second-best).

There's an obvious business objection to this: it will reduce investment in innovative cleantech because investors will perceive these restrictions as limits on the expected profits of their portfolio companies. It's true: these measures are designed to prevent rent-extraction and other enshittificatory practices by cleantech companies, and to the extent that investors are counting on enshittification rents, this might prevent them from investing.

But that has to be balanced against the way that a general prohibition on enshittificatory practices will inspire consumer confidence in innovative and novel cleantech products, because buyers will know that their investments will be protected over the whole expected lifespan of the product, even if the startup goes bust (nearly every startup goes bust). These measures mean that a company with a cool product will have a much larger customer-base to sell to. Those additional sales more than offset the loss of expected revenue from cheating and screwing your customers by twiddling them to death.

There's also an obvious legal objection to this: creating these policies will require a huge amount of action from Congress and the executive branch, a whole whack of new rules and laws to make them happen, and each will attract court-challenges.

That's also true, though it shouldn't stop us from trying to get legal reforms. As a matter of public policy, it's terrible and fucked up that companies can enshittify the things we buy and leave us with no remedy.

However, we don't have to wait for legal reform to make this work. We can take a shortcut with procurement – the things governments buy with public money. The feds, the states and localities buy a lot of cleantech: for public facilities, for public housing, for public use. Prudent public policy dictates that governments should refuse to buy any tech unless it is designed to be enshittification-resistant.

This is an old and honorable tradition in policymaking. Lincoln insisted that the rifles he bought for the Union Army come with interoperable tooling and ammo, for obvious reasons. No one wants to be the Commander in Chief who shows up on the battlefield and says, "Sorry, boys, war's postponed, our sole supplier decided to stop making ammunition."

By creating a market for enshittification-proof cleantech, governments can ensure that the public always has the option of buying an EV that can't be bricked even if the maker goes bust, a heat-pump whose digital features can be replaced or maintained by a third party of your choosing, a solar controller that coordinates with the grid in ways that serve their owners – not the manufacturers' shareholders.

We're going to have to change a lot to survive the coming years. Sure, there's a lot of scary ways that things can go wrong, but there's plenty about our world that should change, and plenty of ways those changes could be for the better. It's not enough for policymakers to focus on ensuring that we can afford to buy whatever badly thought-through, extractive tech the biggest companies want to foist on us – we also need a focus on making cleantech fit for purpose, truly smart, reliable and resilient.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/26/unplanned-obsolescence/#better-micetraps

Image: 臺灣古寫真上色 (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raid_on_Kagi_City_1945.jpg

Grendelkhan (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ground_mounted_solar_panels.gk.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

I've been saying the whole pandemic: "Covid is a class issue."

“COVID is still going on,” says Ishtiaque Fazlul, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in both University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and UGA’s College of Public Health. “Long COVID is very much a problem that is affecting people’s lives right now. And it’s affecting people from all walks of life in terms of financial hardship.”

The COVID-19 pandemic panic that characterized the early 2020s may be gone, but the SARS-CoV-2 virus is continuing to wreak havoc on some Americans’ finances, according to a new study.

The researchers found that long COVID-19 is making it harder for people to pay their bills, buy groceries, and keep their utilities on.

The study suggests much of that financial hardship is the result of lost jobs and reduced working hours. And the researchers found that the negative economic effects of the illness are present regardless of socioeconomic status.

“COVID is still going on,” says Ishtiaque Fazlul, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in both University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and UGA’s College of Public Health. “Long COVID is very much a problem that is affecting people’s lives right now. And it’s affecting people from all walks of life in terms of financial hardship.”

But long COVID is particularly hard on the finances of individuals with lower incomes.

The study found that for individuals in the lowest income bracket, having long COVID increased the likelihood of food insecurity by 10 percentage points. They also were at higher risk of losing important utility services due to not being able to pay their bills.

Even those in higher income brackets faced similar difficulties.

Almost 18 million Americans are living with long COVID. It’s a chronic condition triggered by the COVID-19 virus that can leave people suffering from extreme fatigue, memory problems, and a variety of other unpleasant and sometimes incapacitating symptoms for months to years on end.

The present study relied on nationally representative data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of more than 270,000 Americans across 40 states.

Of the participants, about 20,000 reported having long COVID. The individuals in lower income groups and those without college degrees were disproportionately affected by the condition.

Previous studies have shown that people with lower incomes have a higher risk of contracting COVID. And when they do get the virus, they tend to be sicker and even die at higher rates than their high-income counterparts.

When illness gets in the way of work, particularly for long stretches of time, higher-earners are sometimes able to work from home or rely on savings and various safety nets to keep themselves from running out of cash.

But low-income Americans may have a harder time staying afloat.

“Lower income groups probably have less savings and less to fall back on if something happens with their job,” Fazlul says. “Lower socioeconomic groups also tend to have more hands-on jobs that have less opportunity to work from home.

“If their income decreases even by a little bit, they may cross a threshold that makes them food insecure and makes it difficult to pay bills.”

Having more flexibility in both hours and work from home policies could help long COVID sufferers keep their jobs and health care coverage. Improving access to health care services to help patients manage symptoms of the condition could also make a real difference.

Increasing job security and access to credit is another option to increase long COVID patients’ financial stability, the researchers say.

“People’s financial well-being is being affected by long COVID,” Fazlul says. “That’s something we should care about.”

The study appears in Health Services Research.

Additional coauthors are from the University of Georgia and Augusta University.

Source: University of Georgia

Study link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6773.14413