#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.

[cheapenergyuk]

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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

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[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.

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website : https://dryerventcleaninggrandprairietx.com/

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[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

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[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.

[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.

[911dryerventcleaningrichards]

911 DRYER VENT CLEANING RICHARDSON TX

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address : 400 International Pkwy Richardson, TX

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[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.

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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.

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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.

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Stringent Datalytics

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[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.

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[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 :

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[cheapenergyuk]

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[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

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

[nenelonomh]

cold shower routine

why take cold showers

increased endorphins: cold showers can help relieve symptoms of depression by stimulating electrical impulses in the brain. these impulses increase alertness, clarity, and energy levels, while also releasing endorphins—those “happiness hormones” that promote feelings of well-being and optimism.

improved metabolism: exposure to cold temperatures activates brown adipose tissue (brown fat; BAT), which plays a role in adult health. BAT is a type of body fat that plays a unique role in regulating body temperature. it produces thermal heat through a process called nonshivering thermogenesis. unlike white fat, which primarily stores energy, BAT actively burns calories and stores energy in a smaller space. when BAT burns, it creates heat without causing shivering. researchers believe that BAT could be a treatment for obesity and metabolic syndromes. although cold showers alone won’t lead to significant weight loss, they may contribute to increased metabolism over time. remember - BAT and white fat are parts of our physiology that contribute to our overall health.

enhanced circulation: cold water makes your circulatory system work more efficiently. some people even notice improved skin appearance due to better circulation. athletes have long used cold water for post-workout recovery.

what about alternating hot and cold showers?

alternating hot and cold showers can be invigorating and offer several benefits. the contrast between hot and cold stimulates blood flow, which can benefit your cardiovascular system.

cold exposure may enhance immune function. additionally, alternating temperatures can wake you up and increase alertness.

start with warm water: begin your shower with warm water. this helps relax your muscles and opens up pores.

gradual temperature changes: after a few minutes of warm water, gradually switch to cold water. aim for a comfortable but brisk temperature.

repeat the cycle: alternate between warm and cold water. you can do this 2-3 times during your shower.

what about hot showers?

muscle relaxation: warm water helps relax tense muscles and can provide relief from soreness or stiffness.

improved blood flow: hot showers dilate blood vessels, promoting better circulation. this can be especially beneficial for people with cold extremities.

stress relief: the warmth of a hot shower can soothe your mind and reduce stress. it’s a great way to unwind after a long day.

sinus congestion: steam from hot showers can help clear nasal passages and ease congestion.

while hot showers have their benefits, there are a few potential downsides to consider:

dry skin: hot water can strip your skin of natural oils, leading to dryness and irritation. if you have sensitive skin, lukewarm showers might be a better choice.

hair damage: frequent hot showers can weaken hair strands and make them more prone to breakage. cooler water is gentler on your hair.

blood pressure: hot showers can temporarily raise blood pressure due to vasodilation. if you have hypertension, it’s advisable to avoid extremely hot showers.

energy consumption: hot showers consume more energy, which can impact your utility bills and the environment.

here are some tips to protect your skin during hot showers:

limit shower time: keep your showers short to prevent excessive moisture loss. prolonged exposure to hot water can dehydrate your skin.

use mild cleansers: choose gentle, moisturizing body washes or soaps. harsh cleansers can further dry out your skin.

moisturize immediately: apply good-quality moisturizer after your shower while your skin is still damp. this helps lock in moisture.

avoid scrubbing vigorously: be gentle when using a loofah or washcloth. aggressive scrubbing can damage the skin barrier. instead of rubbing your skin with a towel, pat it gently to avoid friction and irritation.

what is a cold shower routine?

a cold shower routine that combines morning cold exposure and evening warmth can be beneficial. this morning/evening routine will allow you to maximise the benefits of both hot and cold showers.

to incorporate it into your daily routine, gradually work towards a 2-5 minute cold shower. focus on your breath while under the cold water. start by allowing the cold water to hit your chest, back, and extremities first. gradually immerse your head and face in the cold water.

take a warm (not boiling!) shower before bedtime to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. maintain a relaxing routine, such as meditating or winding down, after your warm shower. ensure your bedroom is cool (around 65 degrees fahrenheit or 18 degrees celsius) for optimal sleep.

end notes

remember - both cold and warm showers have their benefits, so look to find a balance that suits your preferences and health needs. enjoy your refreshing showers!

i hope you enjoyed this post! ❤️ nene

[plumlace]

SimCare - EARLY ACCESS

Dive into a more realistic simulation experience with the SimCare mod. Now your Sims can navigate the intricacies of life's challenges with the introduction of benefits and support programs.

Apply for Benefits: Your Sims can now apply for various social benefits including child care credit, unemployment benefits, disability support, and the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP). Life in The Sims 4 just got a little closer to reality as your Sims encounter the same hurdles many people face in the real world.

Special Bank Account: Upon approval, the benefits your Sims receive are automatically deposited into a special bank account every week. Manage these funds wisely, ensuring your Sims have the financial stability they need to thrive.

Utility Credit: Eligible Sims will receive utility credits directly applied to their utility bills. Watch your household expenses decrease as you enjoy the benefits of reduced electricity and water. It's not just a game-changer for your Sims; it's an energy-saving triumph too!

Realistic Simulation: Experience the challenges and triumphs of managing a household budget under different circumstances. Whether your Sims are dealing with unemployment or are on disability support, this mod provides a nuanced look at financial stability, encouraging thoughtful decision-making and strategic planning.

Sims can be approved immediately or denied several times for benefits. Sims will be able to manage their benefits via the phone.

Public Access November 22nd.

DOWNLOAD

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