Does rooftop solar make sense for your home?

"Does rooftop solar make sense for you or someone you know? If you live in the United States or the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, you can plug your address into Google’s Project Sunroof calculator and get an instant estimate about how much power you could generate per year if you were to install solar panels onto your roof. The calculator uses satellite imagery of your house, along with weather patterns in your area, to make this estimate."

"The US calculator also lets you zoom out a bit to see what the rooftop solar potential of your state, county, city, or zip code is! In Texas, where I live, it found that 91 percent of buildings are “solar viable.” If all these buildings installed rooftop solar it would reduce emissions by 107 million metric tons, the equivalent of taking 23.3 million passenger cars off the road for one year!"

From climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe's Talking Climate Newsletter. Subscribe at: http://www.katharinehayhoe.com/

Easy to Use, Mobile Payment Apps Are Also Easy to Misuse

 

Easy to Use, Mobile Payment Apps Are Also Easy to Misuse

While they have taken steps to help prevent mishaps, a new report finds they offer few protections if, for instance, users accidentally send money to the wrong person.

By Ann Carrns, writing for The New York Times

 "Services like Venmo and Zelle let people pay others or receive payments almost instantly, with a few taps on their phone. To use them, you typically download the app and link it to a bank account or credit card" 

"But while they’re fast and easy, the apps can have serious drawbacks. Users can lose money if they accidentally pay the wrong person, mis-type a dollar amount or succumb to a fraud or a scam that tricked them into making a payment." 

Consumer Reports "determined that none of the four popular payment apps — Apple Cash, Cash App, Venmo and Zelle — reimburse users when a payment is mistakenly sent to the wrong person, because such transactions are considered 'authorized.'"

"Apps also wouldn’t compensate clients if a criminal tricked them into sending money."

Advice:

“Slow down when using the apps,” said Rachel Gittleman, financial services outreach manager for the Consumer Federation of America.It's easy to mis-type.

Before hitting send, "confirm the recipient’s user name, phone number or email address." “Double, triple and quadruple check” that you are sending the money to the right person.

It’s also wise to send a small “test” payment — say, $1 — and confirm the correct person received it before sending a large sum.

Don't get left with no car at the rental counter

This is quoted from a New York Times article by Seth Kugel in response to the consumer who arrived at Atlanta Airport to find, despite having a reservation, NO rental cars were available! 

Ensure rental car is available

"The best advice came from a customer service representative from Alamo, who recommended calling the branch directly as your travel date approaches. (It’s easy to find the branch numbers by clicking on “Locations” on alamo.com.) They can let you know if there is an increase in demand for your dates that might mean it’s worth having a plan B, he said."

"An Avis representative had a different take, telling me the best way to ensure you get a car is to register for Avis Preferred, a loyalty program. She told me it was easy and free, and she was right. (I’m their latest member.) Ms. Gibson agreed, and added that prepaying would also make you a higher priority. Another pro tip: She recommended taking the extra minute or two to provide your flight information when you book a car, which allows the agency to automatically adjust your arrival time if your plane is late."

"The biggest news came from Hertz, which now requires that renters provide a credit-card number when making a reservation. Customers who do not cancel before their pickup time are charged for one day’s rental. Lauren Luster, a Hertz spokeswoman, said that the new policy was put in place last February at all corporate branches in the United States, in part to better control inventory and reduce the chances a customer would arrive and not find an appropriate car waiting."