A panel of judges has said that big power companies cannot be held liable for failure to provide electricity during the 2021 blackout. The reason is Texas’ deregulated energy market.
  • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
    46·
    11 months ago

    Fine, fine. Then I don’t want to hear any bitching by code inspectors or anybody else about how I have my backup off-grid power tied to my house. And I sure as shit don’t want to hear any whining along the lines of, “But it’s illegal to disconnect from the grid.”

    If you disavow responsibility, so do I.

    • Cort@lemmy.world
      33·
      11 months ago

      Lol they’ll condemn your house and take it. Something something laws bind you, but not corporations something something… /S

      IMHO more power to you

    • MentallyExhausted@reddthat.comEnglish
      51·
      11 months ago

      Do you have it setup to shut off the main when the backup is running? My understanding is that energizing the grid can kill a lineman if power is coming from your house while they’re working.

      • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
        4·
        11 months ago

        Yes, you should for reason and probably others.

        You can get gadgets to do this for you. Or you can just remember to shut off your main breaker before starting your generator or flipping your giant Frankenstein style knife switch to your battery bank or whatever, and turn it back on only after you’ve disconnected your backup.

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
          4·
          11 months ago

          remember

          LoL, no. What lineman or electrician would want to bet their lives on you happening to remember? If there’s any code enforcement, that’s a resounding no

          • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
            4·
            11 months ago

            The correct answer, of course, is a transfer switch that physically decouples the backup power and the grid power from the building, and does not allow them to be connected at the same time – no matter how the operator might manage to fuck it up.

    • Got_Bent@lemmy.world
      4·
      11 months ago

      I’m putting a generator on my house as we speak and learning very quickly that the “contractor” an otherwise reliable source referred me to doesn’t seem to know what the ever living fuck he’s doing.

      I’m gonna end up so far out of code it’ll be laughable, but I’m kinda stuck as I’m already in for three grand that I can’t get back.

      Fortunately, I’m in one of “those” neighborhoods where police are extremely reluctant to bother, and the generator itself will be well hidden behind fencing when code enforcement drives by.

      Still, I’ve got a sick feeling that I’m either going to burn my house down in a good faith effort to stay alive or I’m gonna end up with a bajillion dollars in fines that I’ll only be able to get out of by surrendering my deed.

      Either of those two scenarios come to fruition, and I’m out of this God forsaken shithole of a third world state the very next day.

  • Adderbox76@lemmy.caEnglish
    22·
    11 months ago

    Straight Capitalism without a strong socialist underpinning is seriously fucking insane.

    Some things just shouldn’t be privatized, period. America is seriously fucked up.

    • Mossy Feathers (She/They)
      17·
      11 months ago

      With what money? I’d love to get out of texas, especially because if Trump or another Republican wins the next election, I’m one of the people they’ll be coming for. But with what money?

        • jumperalex@lemmy.worldEnglish
          8·
          11 months ago

          and to create entirely new social networks. I spent years moving in the military, at least we had an insta-group to step into. Not so easy as a middle-aged civilian.

        • SuiXi3D@kbin.social
          6·
          11 months ago

          I had to wipe out my (pitifully small) savings just to move down the street. Moving out of state would be a sure fire way for me to become homeless.

      • WHYAREWEALLCAPS@kbin.social
        13·
        11 months ago

        Tried that, got betrayed by blue politicians. The Democratic party in Texas as well as nationally have ceded Texas to the GOP. I’m still voting blue but I have zero expectation of anything of worth out of that party at the state level.

    • pdxfed@lemmy.world
      31·
      11 months ago

      To the contrary, 52/46 is not a state you bail on. Look at GA turning blue. 2024 will be interesting to see what the CA migration makes as far as a dent in the ~5% vote difference. Texas will turn blue eventually, it’s a matter of when and if it’s too late to turn the ship around at that point.