Northeast
Window mounted heat pumps in NYC represent 'promising climate solution'
For 27 years, the heat in Regina Fred’s Queens apartment building came from a noisy steam radiator that she couldn’t control and sometimes didn’t come on at all, leaving her shivering. Sometimes, the radiators ran so hot that residents had to keep their windows open in the middle of winter for relief.
That all changed a few months ago, when she got a window-mounted heat pump as part of a pilot project by the New York City Housing Authority aimed at cutting energy costs and lowering emissions. Suddenly, all Fred has to do is touch a dial to bump her temperature up or down, and she found herself enjoying “a very good silence.”
“They did a demonstration for me and I was thrilled,” Fred said. Now, her grown children call the heat pump “the best thing” she has in her apartment, and her neighbors have knocked on her door to check out the unit.
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Heat pumps, a highly efficient technology that has grown in popularity in recent years to rival gas furnaces, have mainly been an option for owners of houses. But new designs are making them practical for apartments, too, which often rely on inefficient centralized steam boilers powered by oil or gas. That represents a promising climate solution for buildings, whose operations account for 26% of global energy-related carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency.
The IEA said last year that installing heat pumps in apartment buildings and commercial areas should “be a priority area” to maintain the growth necessary to meet national climate pledges worldwide. The U.S. alone has 23 million apartment units, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council, representing a huge sector of people who could use less energy with heat pumps.
New York law requires buildings to make big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions over the next decades. To comply, NYCHA is targeting heating and cooling, the largest source of emissions for the agency, which houses about 528,000 people across more than 2,400 buildings — or about one in 17 New Yorkers, said Shaan Mavani, the agency’s chief asset and capital management officer.
Centralized steam boilers powered by natural gas or oil typically provide the heat, and they are wasteful — the NYCHA’s climate mitigation roadmap calls steam heat “19th-century technology incompatible with 21st-century needs.” Mavani said between 30% and 80% of heat is lost through old and leaky infrastructure before it reaches apartments. And that doesn’t account for the waste when residents have to open their windows to dissipate excess heat from a system they can’t control.
Queens borough resident Regina Fred touches one of her window-mounted heat pumps. The installation of heat pumps is part of a New York City Housing Authority pilot project, which aims to cut costs and emissions. (AP Photo)
Eric Wilson, a senior research engineer for the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, led a team that analyzed heat pump performance in various electric grid scenarios and found even the lowest-efficiency pump would cut greenhouse gas emissions and save on operating costs in every U.S. state. That analysis didn’t include the kind of pump being tested in Queens because it wasn’t yet on the scene, but Wilson said he would expect similar results.
Most heat pumps require ductwork, which isn’t an option for renters in a unit they don’t own. And ductless systems typically require extensive installation that includes wiring, making a hole in a wall and a sizeable external compressor.
Gradient and Midea, the two companies making the units in the pilot project at Woodside House, downsized it all into something that looks a bit like a window air conditioner but with a much lower profile. Exterior and interior halves drape over a sill to leave the window mostly unobscured. Gradient, one of the companies, says its unit installs in 15 minutes and plugs into an ordinary wall outlet.
Wilson said the interior portion of the units “take up more space on the inside than you might be used to” but Fred called it “very beautiful.”
“Look, I even have it for decoration,” she said. Her three window units are usually topped by flowers and decorative candles. In one room on a particularly sunny day, morning light shone on a rose, a jar of rose petals, decorative boxes and a “LOVE” sign atop one of them.
Z Smith, an architect at the firm Eskew Dumez Ripple who isn’t involved in the Queens project, said such retrofitting “is the carbon-smart way to get to better comfort for occupants.” That’s because one of the most effective ways to cut emissions from buildings is to avoid putting up new ones, which result in significant emissions due to all the new concrete, steel and wood.
He called the low-profile heat pumps a “lightweight intervention” because they’re so easy to install.
The NYCHA will evaluate results of the pilot project, with plans to eventually install more than 4,000 heat pumps over two years in the Woodside development if all goes well. The authority expects to save money on operating and maintenance costs with the heat pumps, but is waiting to see for initial results before it projects those savings.
Gradient was founded seven years ago in San Francisco with the ambition to decarbonize buildings with a window unit heat pump that can be easily installed without technicians. Part of their goal was a solution for people just like those at Woodside, CEO Vince Romanin said — people in older multi-family buildings with complaints about their window ACs or aged radiators that don’t have a temperature setting.
“We think that if you’re not building solutions for people who need it most, if you’re not building solutions for people who have insufficient heating (and) cooling today, they’re not really solving climate change,” Romanin said.
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A starry season on Broadway means a starry list of Tony nominees: John Lithgow, Daniel Radcliffe, Lesley Manville and Rose Byrne all picked up nods on Tuesday morning as the first groups of nominees were announced on CBS.
Among the other nominees for performances in leading roles are two longtime Broadway favorites: Nathan Lane and Kelli O’Hara. This is O’Hara’s ninth Tony nomination (she has won once).
The race for best new musical — traditionally the category with the greatest financial impact — came down to four shows, all of which could use a box-office boost: “The Lost Boys,” “Titaníque,” “Schmigadoon!” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).”
For best new play, the nominees include Bess Wohl’s “Liberation,” which on Monday won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, as well as “The Balusters,” by David Lindsay-Abaire; “Giant,” by Mark Rosenblatt; and “Little Bear Ridge Road,” by Samuel D. Hunter.
Lane (“Death of a Salesman”), Lithgow (“Giant”) and Radcliffe (“Every Brilliant Thing”) were all nominated as best actor in a play, alongside Will Harrison (“Punch”) and Mark Strong (“Oedipus”). Byrne and O’Hara, co-starring in a revival of “Fallen Angels,” will face Carrie Coon (“Bug”), Susannah Flood (“Liberation”) and Manville (“Oedipus”), in the race for best leading actress in a play.
The nominees for best leading actress in a musical are all first-time nominees: Sara Chase (“Schmigadoon!”), Stephanie Hsu (“The Rocky Horror Show”), Caissie Levy (“Ragtime”), Marla Mindelle (“Titaníque”) and Christiani Pitts (“Two Strangers”). The race for best leading actor in a musical, dominated throughout the season by Joshua Henry of “Ragtime,” also features Nicholas Christopher (“Chess”), Luke Evans (“The Rocky Horror Show”), Sam Tutty (“Two Strangers”) and Brandon Uranowitz (“Ragtime”).
The nominations are being announced in New York by the actors Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss. A half-dozen top categories were first made public on “CBS Mornings,” and the full slate is set to be read at 9 a.m. on the Tony Awards YouTube channel.
The nominations announcement begins a monthlong award period as the 857 Tony voters — mostly people who work in theater or who help finance Broadway shows — finish seeing the latest productions, while the productions, constrained by newly restrictive rules limiting campaigning and promotion, look for ways to remind voters about the strengths of their nominees. The awards ceremony will take place on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall, hosted by the musician Pink and broadcast on CBS.
The season has been a mixed bag for Broadway. Overall attendance and grosses are up over last season, but profitability rates are low because of skyrocketing production costs, and there is rising consumer concern about ticket prices. Only six new musicals opened this season, down from 14 last season.
The Tony Awards, which honor plays and musicals performed in the 41 Manhattan theaters that make up Broadway, are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing. This year, 19 plays and 11 musicals are eligible for awards because they opened on Broadway between April 28, 2025, and April 26, 2026.
The nominees were chosen by a committee of 55 people with theater expertise or experience, but who do not work on, or have a financial interest in, the season’s shows.
Some noncompetitive awards have already been announced.
Lifetime achievement awards will go to André Bishop, who last year stepped down after leading Lincoln Center Theater for 33 years; Jules Fisher, a lighting designer; and James Lapine, the playwright and director. Mary-Mitchell Campbell, a music director, will receive the Isabelle Stevenson Award, which honors volunteerism.
This year’s Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater will go to the 1/52 Project, which supports early career designers, as well as to Jake Bell, a production manager; Kenn Lubin, a signage designer; and Loren Plotkin, an entertainment lawyer.
Boston, MA
World Cup 2026 stadium guides: Welcome to Boston Stadium, which… isn’t really in Boston at all
This article is part of our World Cup Stadium Guides series, in which we look at the 16 venues that will host matches at the 2026 tournament.
Rooted in a past that helped shape a nation, Boston is a region with plenty of history.
It is where key moments in the United States’ past took place, including the Boston Tea Party and the opening clashes of the American Revolutionary War.
In sports, championship-winning teams for the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins have helped define a legacy of success.
And, just outside the capital of Massachusetts, Boston Stadium (as it will be known for the World Cup) has been central to that sporting reputation.
That is in no small part thanks to the dominance of NFL side the New England Patriots, while Major League Soccer outfit the New England Revolution also call the stadium home. As interest in the beautiful game Stateside continues to grow, it will now take centre stage this summer.
Here’s what you need to know about Boston Stadium ahead of the World Cup.
What is it normally called? And what will it be called at the World Cup?
The stadium is usually known as Gillette Stadium, after the shaving brand that holds the naming rights.
Due to FIFA’s commercial regulations, it will be referred to as Boston Stadium during the 2026 World Cup — and all the usual stadium signage must be covered up.
Despite the name, the venue is not located directly in Boston — it sits almost 30 miles southwest in Foxboro, Massachusetts. It was at the centre of a dispute as Foxboro did not want to pay the $7.8million (£5.8m) security costs associated with the World Cup, before an “understanding” was reached with the stadium owner Kraft Sports & Entertainment (KSE) and the Boston host committee in March.
When did it open, how much did it cost, and who plays there?
The stadium opened in 2002, replacing the former Foxboro Stadium.
Built at a cost of approximately $325million, it was designed as a modern, multi-purpose venue capable of hosting both American football and soccer at the highest level.
As the home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution, it is one of the few stadiums in the U.S. regularly used for both sports.
The statue of former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady outside the stadium (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The first NFL regular season game held there was against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in September 2002.
The stadium has since been through a $250million renovation that was completed in 2023, marking the largest upgrade process since its opening.
What are the most famous moments that have happened there?
Unsurprisingly, many of the most iconic moments belong to the Patriots, a team that has long dominated the NFL.
During the eras of legendary former quarterback Tom Brady and longtime head coach Bill Belichick, they built a dynasty that helped define a generation. Their Super Bowl victories were played elsewhere, but this is where the foundations of their success were built.
Among the significant moments are the 2003 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, and a 2007 win against the San Diego Chargers that helped the Patriots complete a perfect regular season.
The 2017 AFC Championship Game win against the Pittsburgh Steelers was another memorable moment, as was the comeback victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2018 AFC Championship Game. The 2014 comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens was also notable.
In soccer, the Revolution produced a historic season in 2021, winning the Supporters’ Shield. The stadium has hosted international fixtures and was one of the venues for the 2003 Women’s World Cup. The 2016 NHL Winter Classic was hosted here, too.
Beyond sport, the stadium has hosted global superstars including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé.
How many fans can it hold? Will it be full for the World Cup?
The stadium has a standard capacity of around 65,000, but it can expand to more than 68,000 for some events. For the World Cup, it is expected to be close to full capacity for all matches.
A recent friendly match between France and Brazil drew a crowd of 66,215 — the second-largest gate for a soccer game here, behind a 2007 friendly between Brazil and Mexico that brought in 67,584 fans.
France’s friendly against Brazil drew in 66,215 fans (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The highest attendance for any event is held by singer Ed Sheeran. His concert in 2023 attracted a crowd of 71,723.
What kind of pitch does it use?
It typically uses a FieldTurf artificial surface, which is standard for NFL competition.
For the World Cup, however, FIFA regulations require natural grass and a temporary grass pitch has been installed specifically for the tournament.
It has already undergone matchday testing. The process of replacing the field began in February and a grass pitch was in place for the Brazil-France game.
Special irrigation and ventilation techniques are being used to maintain surface quality.
There is no roof on the stadium, unlike some others across America.
What will the weather be like?
In the Boston and Foxboro area, June and July generally bring warm and humid conditions.
Temperatures typically range from 68°F (20C) and 86°F (30C), with occasional rain or thunderstorms possible.
Are there other changes for the World Cup?
As with all World Cup venues, several temporary adjustments are required.
Beyond the installation of a natural grass pitch, Boston Stadium must remove sponsor branding in line with FIFA regulations. Upgrades to seating, media facilities, security and hospitality areas are also going ahead.
How do you get there?
Getting to the stadium requires some planning, as it is located outside central Boston.
Special train services will run between South Station and Boston Stadium at a cost of $80, sold on the mTicket site.
For those driving, the stadium is accessible via major highways, but traffic can be heavy during big events.
There will only be 5,000 parking spots available for fans at Boston Stadium this summer (Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Twenty-thousand parking spots are usually available around the stadium during New England Patriots games, but there will only be 5,000 spots for fans parking at the World Cup, due to a new safety perimeter around the stadium.
Shuttle services are common, but fans are advised to allow extra time. Rideshare options are available and the stadium has a designated drop-off spot.
What can fans expect?
Inside the stadium, fans can expect a modern venue with strong sightlines and an atmosphere that is usually intense.
There is also a stunning video display board measuring 60ft high by 370ft wide, situated in the north end.
A view of the 60ft by 370ft video display board at Boston Stadium (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Beyond the stadium itself, the surrounding Patriot Place offers a full matchday experience — with restaurants, bars and fan areas creating a lively build-up to games right alongside the main venue.
Anything else I should know?
One of the stadium’s standout additions is impossible to miss: a 22-story lighthouse towering above the north end zone.
At the top sits a 360-degree observation deck offering views of the stadium and beyond.
The design is a nod to New England’s maritime identity — a region shaped by the sea and dotted with more than 100 historic lighthouses.
Which games will be played there?
There will be five group games and two knockout games played at Boston Stadium.
June 13, Group C: Haiti v Scotland, 9pm local time, 2am BST (+1)
June 16, Group I: Iraq v Norway, 6pm local time, 11pm BST
June 19, Group C: Scotland v Morocco, 6pm local time, 11pm BST
June 23, Group L: England v Ghana, 4pm local time, 9pm BST
June 26, Group I: Norway v France, 3pm local time, 8pm BST
June 29, Round of 32 game: 4.30pm local time, 9.30pm BST
July 9, Quarterfinal game: 4pm local time, 9pm BST
The Stadium Guides series is part of a partnership with StubHub.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
Ross Township leaders honored two civilians Monday night for their actions last month helping a police detective while they were making an arrest.
Last month, police said that a detective was involved in a fight at the intersection of Columbia Avenue and Center Avenue in West View and needed help from additional officers.
While the fight was taking place, two bystanders jumped into action.
Former police officer Johnathan Ponce offered his help to the detective while Justin Gavasto got on the detective’s radio to alert dispatch of the ongoing situation.
Ponce and Gastavo were both honored Monday evening at the Ross Township Board of Commissioners meeting.
“I’m very thankful,” said Ross Township Police Department Detective Michael Orsino. “Eventually, I think you know, my partners would all have gotten there, but just the fact that it took a little bit longer because I wasn’t sure I could get out on my radio. It was great that these guys came and gave me a hand.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like I did anything special,” Gavasto said. “I really don’t. I would hope that anyone driving by and saw an officer in distress or anyone in distress would pull over to help. Help out where you can. Help those that need it. That’s really the take away I got from all this.”
Gavasto said it took him a little bit of time to find the radio that was in Det. Orsino’s police cruiser, then using the radio to identify himself as a civilian and notifying dispatch that additional backup resources were needed.
“Due to the actions of both men, including Mr. Gavasto communicating to dispatch, myself and the West View police officer were able to place the suspect under arrest without anyone suffering any serious injuries,” Det. Orsino said.
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