As a hopeful engineer, I could some interesting free energy uses here (Sort of like Scribbler)
You could get a lifeless, make him run a treadmill to get energy, or Awaken a gear and tell it to turn.
As for how to get breath, you have free health care- but. When you are about to die, you must give your breath. Those that don't (pending extreneous circumstances) give their breath, they must take a breath from their family.
The hospital sells the breaths to the 'energy' companie