State Fines Utilities Millions for 2011 Storm Responses

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 today 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. Recognizing that outages are …

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NSTAR Offers Safety Tips for Holiday Decorations

Residents are encouraged to be safe when decorating their homes for the holiday season.

In an effort to help residents remain safe during the holiday season, NSTAR 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 standard mini-lights can …

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TELL US: Did NStar, National Grid Perform Well During Hurricane Sandy?

The two utility companies have had complaints in recent storms—Hurricane Irene and Snowtober—but say they stepped it up for Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy blew out of the region earlier this week, but not without causing massive power outages, some of which have yet to be fixed.  Both National Grid and NStar say they did a better, faster job in fixing power outages than in previous storms, according to WBUR. Not everyone agrees, however. According to the story, Newton Mayor Setti Warren said NStar was faster, but there's still work to be done. Gov. Deval Patrick also told WBUR the companies worked faster, but said a "total victory" can't be declared. Do you agree? Have they improved since the last storm? Or is there still work to be done? Tell us in the comments.

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NSTAR Gas Scores Highest in Customer Satisfaction Survey

According to J. D. Power and Associates, overall customer satisfaction is measured by using six factors: billing and payment, price, corporate citizenship, communications, customer service and field service.

Northeast Utilities subsidiaries NSTAR Gas and Yankee Gas have earned the top two rankings in customer satisfaction among residential natural gas customers in the Eastern U.S., according to a recently released J. D. Power and Associates survey. The survey of 10 of the east region’s midsized gas utilities puts NSTAR Gas of Massachusetts at the top of the list, followed closely by Yankee Gas of Connecticut.  “Our unyielding attention to customer satisfaction and reliable service is clearly having a positive impact on how our customers view us,” said Rod Powell, President of NSTAR Gas and Yankee Gas in a press release. “Natural gas is increasingly the fuel of choice in our region and local residents are putting their trust in us to keep their…

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NSTAR Proposes Lowest Gas Heating Price in 10 Years

The proposed rate would save the average heating customers, using natural gas with NSTAR, about $15 a month.

NSTAR Gas customers can soon expect to be paying the lowest natural gas price of any heating season since 2002. The company has submitted a new supply rate of 57.32 cents per therm, down 18 percent from last year’s price of about 70 cents. If approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the new price would go into effect Nov. 1 and would save the average heating customer over $15 a month compared to last year.  “As we head into another heating season with low prices, it’s no wonder we’re seeing record numbers of customers converting their heating systems to clean, efficient natural gas,” said Rod Powell, president of NSTAR Gas in a press release. “In today’s economy, with the price of other fuels hovering near all-time …

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Utility Companies Facing More Accountability After Fall Outages

With a new bill awaiting the Governor’s signature, and fines being handed down by Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office, NStar and National Grid will be looking at more accountability.

It started on Aug. 27 when Hurricane Irene started its march through the MetroWest area causing power outages that lasted several days for some. Then, just two months later, the October snowstorm did the same, canceling school and delaying trick-or-treating. But now, nearly a year after it all started, the utility companies that faced outrage about their "lack of response" will be facing the consequences. Last week, Attorney General Martha Coakley's office filed a brief with the Department of Public Utilities, and made a recommendation for the DPU to impose a fine of $16 million on National Grid according to the Worcester Business Journal. Yesterday, on the last day of their session, the legislature passed a bill that would increase the …

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Gas Line Damaged on Joseph Road

During construction this morning, a piece of equipment struck a 2-inch gas line.

Around 8:40 this morning Hopkinton Police, Fire and DPW responded to a gas line break near 8 Joseph Rd. According to scanner reports, the break happened when a backhoe struck the 2-inch gas line that runs under the street. NStar responded to repair the line which was fixed within 30 minutes. Fire officials said everything is under control and that there are no gas readings in any of the houses nearby.

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Selectmen to Discuss NStar, Liquor Licenses

The Board of Selectmen has a packed agenda tonight.

The Hopkinton Board of Selectmen has a lot on its plate for today's 7 p.m. meeting, one of the last meetings before budget season begins next month. 1. Selectmen are once again planning to have a discussion with NStar about its response to Hurricane Irene. The two groups planned on meeting in November but that meeting had to be postponed. The agenda has this conversation scheduled for 8:20 p.m. 2. In conjunction with a new law, selectmen will discuss a policy that would allow for members to participate in meetings remotely. The law outlines certain situations where it would be acceptable for a member to participate via phone or video conferencing. 3. The Downtown Initiative Steering Committee will present its findings from informational …

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Holliston Resident Testified: NSTAR Used 'Band-Aid' Fix

Roughly 50 people attended a state hearing on NSTAR's response during two recent weather-related events.

Holliston resident Lee Cohen testified this week at a hearing about NSTAR's response during power outages this year. Cohen said all the homes in the subdivision lost power during Irene on Sunday, but a select 70 homes didn't get power back until Wednesday. And when the snowstorm stuck, the same 70 homes were again days without power and heat. "Obviously, it is a case of infrastructure failure," he said. He said NSTAR's solution to the Irene problem was just a Band-Aid, since the problem happened again in October. Cohen was one of a half-dozen NSTAR customers who testified Wednesday night at a hearing by the Massachusetts Department of Utilities at Walsh Middle School in Framingham, on the response of NSTAR following Irene and the October …

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Serena Keating

10:22 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011

Maybe if enough people complain, Nstar will get the message that they need to communicate with their customers and employees in the field...   more ›

Social Media Saturdays

If a Tree Falls in the Forest and More Social Media News

A look at your town's presence on Facebook.

We at Hopkinton Patch love to use social media to complement our work  and activity on this page. Our Twitter and Facebook pages are tools  that help us interact with and engage you, our readers. Social Media Saturday is a weekly feature where Hopkinton Patch highlights some of what people shared on Facebook and other media in the past week. We'll also point you to some new and interesting  pages you may not have known about before. Highlights of the Week The Hopkinton Patch has 206 likes on Facebook. We are proud of our ever growing numbers, and we hope you will continue to tell your friends to give us a click. If you have local events or announcements you'd like us to know about, give us a shout and we'll list them on our page and post…

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