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.
A new law that was passed in California last year could change how much people pay for electricity each month. The proposed changes will be based on how much money people make and not on their monthly electricity usage.
A designer is trying to make a case for double-decker airplane seats, showcasing a prototype at an aircraft interiors expo in Germany. His idea made waves last year after he posted it online.
Fourteen wastewater plants in New York City recently showed high levels of COVID-19. This could be a grim predictor for a national COVID outbreak. Cheddar's Ashley Mastronardi spoke to one expert about how to prepare for another wave.
Seven people were shot, two fatally, when gunfire rang out Tuesday outside a downtown theater in Richmond, Virginia, where a high school graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said.
Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital for intestinal surgery Wednesday, the latest malady to befall the 86-year-old pontiff who had part of his colon removed two years ago.
