My landlord installed a heatpump / electric combo water heater last month. It has a wifi connectivity feature that supposedly lets you schedule the water heater.
I was excited to be able to turn it off during peak times (4 to 9pm) and at night and set it to high efficiency mode when needed.
We all know that PG&E is a private utility company which participates in stock buyback, unjustified rate increases coupled with unrealistic compensations for their CEO.
I know they don’t have me best interest in mind yet I cannot opt out if them scheduling my water heater…
My only option is to turn off the IoT and delete the app.
Are appliance manufacturers are colluding with utility companies ?
So once again, as a tenant, I can’t do anything. My landlord probably got some tax deductions, and we’re stuck with either a dumb water heater or a collaborator spyware smart water heater…
At least it should theoretically be cheaper than gas but with the way the rates are increasing, I need to do the math
Don’t buy an #EcoTerra or at least download the #EcoNet app beforehand to see how shitty it is.
Our gas company sends me an email to take a survey. The incentive? I get a $1 Amazon gift card mailed to me within 4-6 weeks. #survey#utilities#incentives
U.S. electric utilities predict a tidal wave of new demand from data centers powering technology like generative #AI, with some power companies projecting electricity sales growth several times higher than estimates just months earlier.
Interesting to think, there must be someone who is managing the energy supply in each region across N America who needs to ensure they're ready for when solar panels all along the #eclipse path lose power and the conventional grid needs to fill in for three minutes or so.
Thanks to my student Lino Sengkhamvilay (below) for today's story about how the citizens of Norman, OK rejected a 25-year deal with the local power company, leaving the city and utility w/out an operating agreement.
@ned
I live in the US. Whenever my for-profit, predatory health insurance provider sends out a feedback survey, I respond similarly.
Them: How can we serve you better?
Me: Healthcare is a human right. Profit has no business anywhere near healthcare. Your company shouldn't exist. You should lobby the US government for a universal single-payer healthcare system.
Hello MacOS-using photographers. Is there an easy way to add EXIF data to the Finder, or a utility to see EXIF when browsing file folders? As I browse my memory cards, I want to be able to confirm which camera was used, and maybe look at GPS data if available.
How Georgia’s Small Power Companies Endanger Their Most Vulnerable Customers
The state’s small #electricity providers aren’t required to delay disconnecting seriously ill customers who depend on medical devices, putting lives at risk.
Thames Water is loaded with debt and likely to go broke by next April.
About a quarter of the UK population are customers.
In July Thames told MPs that it had received £500m in new investment from its shareholders to fix infrastructure. That money now turns out to have been a loan at 8% interest.
The payment was hidden in what even Bloomberg call the "byzantine structure" of the shell companies that ultimately own Thames Water.
We're honored #ABC10 received the national Edward R. Murrow award for Investigative Reporting.
This was for our #FirePowerMoney story revealing that Gov. Newsom had hired PG&E's longtime law firm to draft legislation bailing the company out of its own #wildfire damage.