Thursday, April 18, 2013
In his weekly column, Grafton Police Chief Normand A. Crepeau Jr. reiterates National Grid's warning to customers.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Thursday, April 18
National Grid has sent out notices to municipal agencies and police chiefs regarding a nationwide utility bill scam. To ensure that everyone is informed, the Grafton Police Department is providing a copy of the press release recently issued by National Grid. NATIONAL GRID WARNS OF PAYMENT SCAM National Grid electric customers have received telephone calls from individuals claiming to work for National Grid. These scammers demand payment, through a pre-paid card, on past due balances for electric accounts and threaten customers that their service will immediately be shut-off for non-payment. In some cases the caller also tells the customer that they may have a faulty meter that is dangerous and in need of replacing for a substantial fee…
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
National Grid has reported that a scam is spreading across New England, in which people call customers and demand payments.
- BUSINESS
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Wednesday, February 20
Editor's Note: the following press release was distributed by National Grid. National Grid is warning its customers of a new, nationwide utility bill scam. In the past several days National Grid electric customers have received telephone calls from individuals claiming to work for National Grid. These scammers demand payment on past due balances for electric accounts and threaten customers that their service will immediately be shut-off for non-payment. In some cases, the caller also tells the customer that they may have a faulty meter that is dangerous and in need of replacing for a substantial fee. Callers are being directed to make an immediate, over-the-phone payment in order to keep their power on. National Grid never seeks payment …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
National Grid was fined nearly $19 million, the highest fine levied against utilities in Massachusetts.
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, while the Western Massachusetts Electric Company faces a $2 million penalty. National Grid told the …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The utility said it is ready to go with more than 500 crews in the event of power outages from Wednesday night's Nor'Easter.
- NEWS
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012
National Grid, the electric utility that had hundreds of thousands of customers without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy including hundreds in Grafton, said it is ready for Wednesday night’s Nor’Easter. The latest storm first moved in on Wednesday morning and is expected to last into Thursday with high winds, heavy rain and some heavy wet snow to the west and north. National Grid said it is ready to respond to any power outages that may occur as a result of the weather. There are more than 500 line and tree crews available and ready to respond to any storm-related outages, plus more than 200 “wires-down” personnel. That includes both National Grid crews and those from other companies that are assisting National Grid. The storm has…
Thursday, November 1, 2012
As of mid-day Thursday, all but 30 Grafton households had power.
National Grid crews are out restoring power to those that are still in the dark after Hurricane Sandy and said that nearly all customers should have power by midnight tonight. In a teleconference this afternoon, National Grid president Marcy Reed said that crews have been out restoring power to customers across the northeast for over 48 hours since beginning on Tuesday morning at 6 a.m., when the power company decided it was safe to begin working. Reed said that, as of 3 p.m. Thursday, power has been restored to 97 percent of National Grid customers. Roughly 5,600 customers are still without power. In Grafton, 30 of the town's 8,088 electric customers are out. That number was whittled down from 182 Wednesday evening. "The lion's share of …
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.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Almost 1,000 customers of National Grid in Grafton are without power.
As of 3:45 p.m. Tuesday in Grafton, 962 homes remained without power because of Hurricane Sandy, according to the utility's website. Upton also is stricken, with much of the town still out. As of 10 p.m. yesterday, in the height of the hurricane, nearly half of the town's customers were out. The utility is now completing assessments of the affected areas. Once those assessments are finished—a process expected to be completed early Wednesday morning—individual outages will be assigned specific time frames for restoration. Restoration estimates could come tonight. Marcy Reed, president of National Grid in Massachusetts, in a conference call with media said until the assessments are completed, she couldn't say how long it will take for power…
Monday, October 29, 2012
The president of National Grid offered an update on Monday afternoon about the company's preparedness and response to Hurricane Sandy.
There are more than 1,300 electric crews on the ground in Massachusetts ready to restore power in the National Grid service area once Hurricane Sandy blows through. That’s according to Marcy Reed, president of National Grid in Massachusetts. She met with the press on Monday afternoon in a conference call for about 20 minutes where she said the company has been preparing for Hurricane Sandy since last Monday. As of mid afternoon Monday, the hardest hit areas included Quincy on the South Shore and Salem on the North Shore, she said. “Many utilities have been able to send crews and they are here,” she said. National Grid’s 16,000 employees are “all hands on deck,” from line crews to office staff, who are working to coordinate lodging for the …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
National Grid is warning customers that a scam is selling pre-paid cards in its name.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Thursday, October 18, 2012
Editor's Note: National Grid has released the following information about a scam. If you have been a victim of this, contact Grafton Police and National Grid. National Grid is warning customers about a utility bill payment scam affecting unsuspecting customers in its New England service area. Scammers claiming to be National Grid representatives are calling customers and asking that they purchase Green Dot MoneyPak card to pay outstanding balances or to pay for the replacement of faulty meters. Customers are then asked to reveal a 14-digit security serial number located on the card. Providing this number allows access to funds on the pre-paid credit card. National Grid does not ask customers to directly pay for faulty equipment and is …
Local energy retailers are selling a pink bulb, and the proceeds benefit breast cancer organizations.
- BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
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Thursday, October 18, 2012
Submitted by MassSave In mid-August 2012, the Sponsors of Mass Save—Cape Light Compact, National Grid, NSTAR Electric, Unitil and Western Massachusetts Electric Company—announced a special fundraising initiative to benefit the Ellie Fund, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization whose mission is to support patients and their loved ones as they battle breast cancer. The Sponsors of Mass Save have partnered with Greenlite Lighting, a manufacturer of energy-efficient lighting technologies, to produce and sell special, pink-based compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) at select Massachusetts retailers through December. For every Greenlite pink-based CFL sold, Greenlite and the participating retailers will donate 15 cents to the Ellie …
Mary MacDonald
6:14 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The DPU is a regulatory agency. It has some authority over private companies, including water companies. The same agency is required to approve any water rate increase, such as in Milford, where the utility is a private company. more ›