> Regardless of the type of heat, many people all over the city had burst pipes in their walls, ceilings, and basements, including several hospitals.
It's amazing how many people simply don't take basic precautionary measures when extreme cold is on the way. Something as basic as letting the faucets drip will prevent freezing. Shutting off the water and opening the taps works too if you don't want to "waste water".
> A few only had heat pumps with no backup and reported the interior temp dropped to the 40s or low 50s (~10C).
A good case for not using heat pumps if you live in a place that can have extreme cold snaps. I have a heatpump for 2 bedrooms but if it stopped working then opening the doors and letting the warm air from the furnaces in would be enough I think. I'd be skeptical of having only a heatpump.
The other problem with only having a heat pump is if the electricity goes out, which happened across the region (there was a windstorm at the same time as the arctic freeze which brought down trees onto power lines). We have one friend who lost power but thankfully had a working fireplace with fuel, otherwise they would have been in a world of hurt.
The people who had burst pipes mostly seemed to be transplants from outside the northeast, including some from other countries, who have never been exposed to a situation like this or the basic precautions to prevent burst pipes. It's a hard lesson to learn, for sure.
It's amazing how many people simply don't take basic precautionary measures when extreme cold is on the way. Something as basic as letting the faucets drip will prevent freezing. Shutting off the water and opening the taps works too if you don't want to "waste water".
> A few only had heat pumps with no backup and reported the interior temp dropped to the 40s or low 50s (~10C).
A good case for not using heat pumps if you live in a place that can have extreme cold snaps. I have a heatpump for 2 bedrooms but if it stopped working then opening the doors and letting the warm air from the furnaces in would be enough I think. I'd be skeptical of having only a heatpump.