u/Timely-Pirate-5196

I currently have a 6 year old Titan Secret Lab Gaming chair that I need to replace. I have about 500-700 to spend and I am trying to decide if I should just replace it with the same or buy a used office chair. I am 5'11" 210lbs. I WFH and spend roughly 8 hours on the chair at least 5 days a week. No real back issues but have some neck tightness. Should I buy a new gaming chair or buy a used better quality office chair. I would like to try and get 10 years out of the purchase.

House Bill 1007 was signed into law on May 7. The House passed it 48 to 16. The Senate passed it April 2. Rep. Lesley Smith and Rep. Rebekah Stewart carried it in the House, with Sen. Matt Ball and Sen. Cathy Kipp sponsoring in the Senate.

The bill creates a new category of solar device: anything up to 1,920 watts that connects through a standard wall outlet. Utilities like Xcel cannot require prior approval, charge fees, or mandate additional equipment. You plug it in, it generates power, and your bill goes down. Colorado now has the highest watt cap of any state in the country.

Two provisions that got less attention: the law voids any HOA covenant or lease clause that restricts these systems, and it covers meter collar adapters to make battery and solar interconnection easier for residents outside the investor owned utility territory.

Colorado is the fourth state to pass this kind of law, joining Utah, Maine, Virginia, and Maryland. There are now 25 or more states with active bills this session. The combination of a Democratic governor, a bipartisan vote margin, and the highest watt cap in the nation makes Colorado a strong reference point for other states still working through their legislatures.

More detail on the national picture at pluginsolarusa.com.

Governor Polis signed House Bill 1007 into law on May 7. Colorado now has the highest watt cap of any state in the country at 1,920 watts, and zero utility approval required.

Here is how it works: you buy a small solar panel, plug it into a standard outlet, and it starts pushing power into your home wiring. Whatever it produces, you stop pulling that amount from Xcel. Your meter slows down, your bill goes down. That is the whole thing. It works the same way in an apartment, a condo, or a house. You do not need to own the property.

The law also voids any HOA restriction or lease clause that bans these systems. If your building or HOA had a rule against solar, that rule no longer holds under Colorado law.

Most people start with a single panel in the 400W to 800W range. Denver gets solid sun year round, which makes the math work better here than in most states. You can estimate your specific savings based on your zip code and usage at pluginsolarusa.com.

Connecticut just passed HB 5340 on the last day of the legislative session. The bill includes a provision that lets you plug a small solar panel into a standard wall outlet and use it to offset your electricity usage. No permit. No calling Eversource. No approval of any kind.

The panel works like an appliance. You plug it in, it generates electricity, and your meter runs a little slower. Systems up to 1,200 watts are covered. The device needs to meet Connecticut building code and be certified by a recognized national testing lab, but that is a product requirement, not a hoop you jump through to install it.

The bill passed both chambers on May 6 and is now sitting on the governor's desk. Once signed, Connecticut will join Utah, Maine, and Virginia as states that have formally legalized this.

Connecticut has some of the highest electricity rates in the country. This does not fix that entirely, but it gives every resident with a south facing window or balcony a way to generate their own power without needing to own their roof or hire anyone.

You can learn more about the bill, how plug-in solar works and calculate what your savings might look like at pluginsolarusa.com/pluginsolarsavingscalculator.

Governor Spanberger signed HB 395 / SB 250 into law on April 22 as part of her Affordable Virginia Agenda. The House passed it 96 to 0. The Senate passed it 30 to 8. Virginia is now the third state in the country to legalize plug in solar, after Utah and Maine.

Starting July 1, 2026, any Virginia resident can buy a small solar panel (up to 1,200 watts), mount it on a balcony, patio, fence, or deck, and plug it into a standard wall outlet. It feeds power directly into your home and offsets whatever you're using in real time. No interconnection agreement. No permits. No electrician. No approval process. You notify your utility after installation and that's it. This applies to every utility in the state: Dominion, APCo, municipal utilities, and electric co-ops. The law treats plug in solar the same way we treat any other consumer electronics: plug it in, it works, no utility permission required.

This isn't experimental technology. Germany has over four million of these systems running safely. Utah has had them legal since 2025. A 400W to 800W panel runs $400 to $1,000 upfront and offsets a meaningful chunk of your electric bill every month. You can have up to three systems per metered account.

The renter protections are worth noting. Landlords with four or more units cannot ban plug in solar. They can set reasonable rules about placement and size, but they can't prohibit it outright. Tenants need to notify their landlord in writing before installing, but it is not an approval process. For the roughly 35% of Virginia households that rent, this opens up solar access that was never realistic before.

Del. Paul Krizek (D, Fairfax) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D, Fairfax) carried the bills. The bipartisan margins speak for themselves. Utah passed its version unanimously under a Republican legislature. Virginia got it done under a Democratic governor. This isn't a partisan issue.

What HB 395 / SB 250 does:

• Removes the utility pre-approval requirement for systems under 1,200 watts
• Bans utilities from charging fees or requiring additional equipment
• Requires UL certification and built in anti-islanding protection
• Prevents landlords from prohibiting plug in solar on rental properties
• Allows up to three plug in systems per metered account

Before you buy, make sure the system is UL certified, includes a microinverter, and is rated at or under 1,200 watts. Avoid anything without UL certification regardless of price. More details on what to look for plus a savings calculator at pluginsolarusa.com/blog/virginia-signs-plug-in-solar-law.

Governor Spanberger signed HB 395 / SB 250 into law on April 22 as part of her Affordable Virginia Agenda. The House passed it 96 to 0. The Senate passed it 30 to 8. That kind of bipartisan margin almost never happens on energy legislation. Virginia is now the third state to legalize plug in solar, joining Utah and Maine.

Here's what this means for NoVA. Starting July 1, 2026, any Virginia resident can buy a small solar panel (up to 1,200 watts), mount it on a balcony, patio, fence, or deck, and plug it into a standard wall outlet. It feeds power directly into your home and offsets whatever you're using in real time. No interconnection agreement with Dominion. No permits. No electrician. No approval process. You notify your utility after installation. That's it. The law treats plug in solar the same way we treat any other consumer electronics: plug it in, it works, no utility permission required.

This isn't experimental technology. Germany has over four million of these systems running safely. Utah has had them legal since 2025. A 400W to 800W panel on a south facing balcony runs $600 to $1,500 and can offset a meaningful chunk of your Dominion bill every month. With rates going up $11/month this year and another increase coming in 2027, even a small offset adds up.

For renters in NoVA this is especially relevant. Landlords with four or more units cannot ban plug in solar. They can set reasonable rules about placement and size, but they can't say no outright. You need to notify your landlord in writing before installing, but it is not an approval process. You can also have up to three systems per metered account.

What HB 395 / SB 250 does:

• Removes the utility pre-approval requirement for systems under 1,200 watts
• Bans Dominion from charging fees or requiring additional equipment
• Requires UL certification and built in anti-islanding protection
• Prevents landlords from prohibiting plug in solar on rental properties
• Allows up to three plug in systems per metered account

The law takes effect July 1. Before you buy, make sure the system is UL certified, includes a microinverter, and is rated at or under 1,200 watts. Avoid anything without UL certification regardless of price. More details on what to look for plus a savings calculator at pluginsolarusa.com/blog/virginia-signs-plug-in-solar-law.

Most people have never heard of plug-in solar, but the concept is simple: a small solar panel (400–800W) with a micro-inverter that plugs directly into a standard wall outlet. No electrician, no permits, no roof work. It just offsets whatever electricity you're pulling from the grid in real time — like running an appliance in reverse.

Germany has over a million of these installed. Pennsylvania is now trying to make them legal here.

HB 1971, introduced by Rep. Chris Pielli and referred to the House Energy Committee on October 28th, has picked up 34 co-sponsors — including 3 Republicans — making it one of the more broadly supported plug-in solar bills in the country right now.

What the bill actually does:

• Up to 1,200W — connects through a standard wall outlet
• No interconnection agreement required with your utility
• No pre-approval — utilities cannot require you to ask permission before installing
• No fees — utilities cannot charge you anything related to the system
• No net metering — it offsets your own usage only, nothing sold back to the grid
• Must be UL certified — safety standards built in

For Pennsylvania renters, apartment dwellers, and homeowners with older or shaded roofs, this is a practical, low-cost way to cut an electric bill without a $20,000 rooftop commitment. A basic setup runs $400–$800.

The bill has the co-sponsors — what it needs now is constituent pressure to get it out of committee. Reaching out to your rep takes about 5 minutes.

pluginsolarusa.com has a full breakdown of how plug-in solar works, Pennsylvania's bill details, and a ready-made letter template you can send directly to your legislators.