Wednesday, March 13, 2013
NSTAR and crowd-sourced websites offer tips and locations for charging electric cars.
Drivers who are considering a switch to electric vehicles or current vehicle owners looking for a place nearby to charge their rides have a couple of places to find their outlet. In Charlestown, the closest charging stations are in Cambridge at the Traffic Department's First Street location and the Cambridgeside Galleria, according to crowd-sourced website carstations.com. Carstations allows users to upload new car charging locations to a Google map and (when applicable) provides details on the station. According to the site's About section, "This website is designed to encourage participation and welcomes user interaction in the form of comments, updates and user generated content." There are also more official sites providing electric …
Friday, February 8, 2013
Less than half a percent of the city's NSTAR customers were experiencing outages by 8:30 p.m., the company reported.
More than 800 NSTAR customers in Boston were without power as of 8:30 p.m. Friday night, after a winter storm/blizzard blew through the area, according to the electric company's outage map. NSTAR did not say how many of those homes were in Charlestown. A total of 823 Boston customers were reporting power outtages, about .28 percent of the total NSTAR customers served in the city, 295,074. The Massachusetts communities showing the highest percentage of customers without power as of 8:30 p.m. were Needham and Dover, with about 1 percent in each town down. Charlestown customers are encouraged to notify NSTAR if they do experience power outages, by entering customer information online or by calling 800-592-2000. For a list of NSTAR tips during…
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The company has already activated its emergency response plan.
With a major winter storm expected to impact the Boston area beginning Friday, NSTAR announced on Thursday it will will activate its emergency response plan for a significant impact on the electric grid. “We’re well into our preparations for responding to potentially widespread power outages resulting from the nor’easter’s high winds and heavy snow,” said Craig Hallstrom, president of NSTAR Electric. “We prepare year-round for storms like this and stand ready to address damage to our system as soon as it becomes safe to do so.” NSTAR said 3,000 employees are currently preparing to assist in the storm reponse effort, and the company has also secured additional contractor line and tree crews. The company is advising customers to make …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
NSTAR was fined $4 million in responses to Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm but already announced it plans to appeal.
The state on Tuesday ordered a total of $24.8 million in penalties to utility companies for their response to storms in 2011. Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan joined Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Chairman Ann Berwick and DPU commissioners to announce the findings of the DPU’s investigation into responses to Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm. Provided the penalties hold up, customers should see a reduction in their bill, though it is unclear how much, officials said. National Grid faces the steepest penalty, at $18.725 million; NSTAR has been ordered to pay $4.075 million; and Western Massachusetts Electric Company to pay $2 million. NSTAR supplies power to Charlestown and …
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Residents are encouraged to be safe when decorating their homes for the holiday season.
In an effort to help residents across the Commonwealth remain safe during the holiday season, NSTAR has released a list of safety tips regarding the use of home decorations. “Holiday lights have become much more efficient than the older-style bulbs of years past,” Bill Stack, NSTAR’s energy efficiency spokesman, said in a statement Wednesday. “With newer technology now available in many more options, today’s lighting displays can help a family save money and energy this holiday season.” Holiday lights using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) use 90 percent less energy than traditional bulbs, according to NSTAR, and they’re much more durable and can last years longer. Additionally, operating 10 strings of mini-LED lights compared to 10 strings of…
Thursday, August 30, 2012
You'll recognize some businesses on the list, such as National Grid and NSTAR.
Can you name the company that has the highest tax bill in Boston for $83,628,890? Give up? The answer: Blackstone Real Estate Partners. According to statistics provided by the City of Boston (see attached), the powerhouse real estate company had the highest tax bill for fiscal year 2012. Boston Properties had the second highest tax bill - $67,577,332. But the tax bill comes with an asterisk - that the company purchased the Hancock Tower from Normandy Real Estate in Dec. 2010. The Hancock Tower was reflected in Normandy’s real estate figure last year, as they were listed as the owner of record in the fiscal 2011 assessment, according to the attached memo. The Hancock Tower is in Boston Properties’ real estate figure. And this move lowered…
