A bill to be introduced in the Senate this week would seek to broaden heat pump adoption by making the high-efficiency heating and cooling appliances price-competitive with air conditioners. Heat pumps are essentially two-way air conditioners that transfer heat from outside to inside in the winter and from inside to outside in the summer. Although they are far more expensive up front than methane gas furnaces, tax credits of between $600 – $1,000 per unit means heat pumps could essentially replace traditional air conditioning units, and once installed will also heat homes more efficiently than methane gas-burning furnaces. Two-thirds of homes in the U.S. have central air conditioning. (HuffPost, Canary Media)