Cheddar News anchor Shannon LaNier visited Westchester County, New York for a closer look at how some families are saving on energy by installing heat pumps.
Many experts consider electrically-powered heat pumps a green alternative to gas heat. They have both air conditioning and heating functionality and work by pulling air from the outside. They also happen to be relatively quiet.
"How much could someone save on their energy source here? I mean, it's gonna be different for every house, but ultimately, if you have the system sized appropriately and use the correct eligible technology, you can see some good savings based on the efficiency," said Watson Milliston, energy efficiency specialist at Con Edison.
Just don't forget to insulate your homes, he added, otherwise those efficiency gains go to waste.
"You want to weatherize your house and just trap all that heat that you're paying good money to keep," he said.
The unstable conditions triggered thunderstorms that knocked out power from Oklahoma to Mississippi. It's also producing gusty winds in the Southwest that raised wildfire threats in Arizona and New Mexico.
Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, Phoenix and Rhode Island were among the hardest-hit metro areas. The Twin Cities saw a 106% increase in evictions filings in March.
The two-year investigation found numerous examples of excessive force, unlawful discrimination, First Amendment violations, needless escalation of mental health crises and sabotage of investigations into misconduct. Racism and racial profiling were rampant.
Police in southern Germany are appealing for photos and videos taken by witnesses of an attack near Neuschwanstein castle in which an American man allegedly pushed two women down a steep slope, killing one of them. A suspect was arrested following the attack.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a busload of migrants to downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, prompting Mayor Karen Bass to respond to Abbott's move as a "despicable stunt."
