Where's is Brookline's Closest Electric Car Charging Station?

NSTAR and crowd-sourced websites offer tips and locations for charging electric cars.

  Drivers 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 Brookline, there are spaces in the Town Hall parking lot reserved for electric cars. Carstations allow 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 car charging information. This week, NSTAR launched a new hotline and website to provide customers with information …

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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 across the Commonwealth 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,” said Bill Stack, NSTAR’s energy efficiency spokesman 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 …

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One Year Later: What Did You Learn from Tropical Storm Irene?

A year after the storm hit, what lessons did New England learn from Tropical Storm Irene passing through?

One Year Later: What Did You Learn from Tropical Storm Irene?

A year after the storm hit, what lessons did New England learn from Tropical Storm Irene passing through?

It has been almost a year after Tropical Storm Irene hit New England, leaving trees and power lines down, and many without power.  Earlier this month, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced that she is seeking to fine NStar $9.7 million for "failed responses" in both Irene and "Snowtober" (which NStar has challenged).  Nstar released a statement on the same day disagreeing with Coakley's assessment, saying that "Nstar Electric customers fared better than others in Massachusetts and throughout New England." In the statement, Werner Schweiger, President of NSTAR Electric said that all storms are opportunities to "identify areas of improvement," but that "we have not reached a stage where technology is resistant to storm damage.” So, what …

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Crash Shuts Down Dean Road

SUV hits a telephone pole, but no one is injured.

A single car crashed into a telephone pole on Dean Road, resulting in the road's closure between Clark Road and Beacon Street. Nobody was injured in the 1:45 p.m. crash, but the pole cracked in half, and poses a potential danger to pedestrians and motorists. NStar has been requested to the scene and the road reopened as of 2:35 p.m., but sidewalk remains closed.

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Truck Pulls Down Live Wires On Crafts Road, Brookline

Tractor trailer truck becomes tangled in wires in Chestnut Hill, Brookline.

Earlier today, at around 10 a.m. A tractor trailer got tangled in live power lines near 32 Crafts Road in Chestnut Hill. The driver was told to stay inside the cab until Brookline Firefighters could remove the live lines. The driver was not injured. Fire crews used plastic hooks to pull the detached power cables off of the vehicle. NStar was called to the scene to investigate the power lines. 

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