At their open house last week, the Westford CAT crew celebrated new lighting equipment that will save several thousand dollars in energy costs.
Westford's been focused on getting its power back over the past few days, last week the focus at Westford CAT was conserving power and saving money while doing it. Here are some photos from the station's open house where they celebrated savings on their new studio upgrade.
We'll provide more information as it becomes available.
According to reports from the town, National Grid has indicated that 460 customers in Westford were without power as of 10 a.m., with five crews in town. We will provide an additional update later this afternoon. Keep checking Westford Patch for more updates. You can also get news alerts by signing up for our breaking and daily newsletters, liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.
The largest electric utility in Massachusetts, National Grid said Tuesday that it would offer exact power restoration estimates later in the afternoon after Hurricane Sandy moved through on Monday.
National Grid says it will have exact power restoration estimates by the end of Tuesday, according to company President Marcy Reed. The estimates, which have always traditionally been offered when the company knows when each customer will have their power back, will be distributed “far and wide,” said Jackie Berry, a company spokeswoman. There are a total of 2,400 National Grid employees at work on Tuesday afternoon statewide in Massachusetts, ranging from line crews, tree crews, transmission crews and other workers following Hurricane Sandy. There are 530 total crews at work, with more than 300 of those from outside National Grid's service area. In addition, the newly created “community liaisons” are at work in the emergency operations …
The Cameron Senior Center and J.V. Fletcher Library are both open for residents without power, and the town has an automated storm information line at 978-399-2067.
By approximately 8 p.m. on Tuesday, National Grid should have estimates for what time power will be restored to Westford residents still without electricity, Westford Assistant Town Manager John Mangiaratti said on early Tuesday afternoon. Officials estimate there are currently about 1,800 homes still without power. As of 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, the National Grid website lists 1,344 customers without power—14.5 percent of the total National Grid customers in Westford. The Cameron Senior Center and J.V. Fletcher Library are both open for residents currently without power, Mangiaratti said. Residents are reminded to stay away from downed power lines. The town also has an automated storm information line set up, which can be reached at 978-399-…
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5:35 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Yeah, sometimes the system can't load them all. Clearing cache and cookies on browsers helps load them faster according to the help desk guys. more ›
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 …
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2:29 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
24 hours after loosing power and have not seen a national grid truck in the area... Somebody is full of it !! more ›
After power was out for several days in Westford following the 2011 Halloween storm, we want to ask you if you think National Grid is ready now, one year later.
Today, Westford braces for the second big Halloween week storm in as many years, and the question remains whether National Grid will be able to restore power quickly once Hurricane Sandy's impact leaves the area. State officials will be keeping a close eye on National Grid's performance in the storm, and National Grid New England vice president of operations Kathy Lyford announced in a press release that customers should prepare for extended power outages, but predictions on how long possible electricity restoration might take won't be known until once the storm is over. National Grid has a map of outages in the area online, and we will be throughout the area on Monday checking on power outage locations, providing updates on our Facebook…
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9:47 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
I'm not as rosy eyed as Chris. I still see a lot of wood hanging precariously over the lines. I think we got a lot of lip service last November and a little token preventative maintenance. Amber is onto the same thing I've observed - when your electric company is local, you get better and more diligent service, not press releases and empty "commitments" to do better next time. more ›
Utility company says customers should not buy Green Dot MoneyPak cards.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is from 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 not conducting a Green Dot MoneyPak program. MoneyPak cards allow consumers to add a dollar value to the …
National Grid faced fierce criticism for its response to Hurricane Irene and an October snowstorm last year but said on Tuesday it is ready for heavy winds and rain on Tuesday night and Wednesday.
National Grid officials said on Tuesday that they were ready for the expected gusty winds and heavy rain that is forecasted to move into the area on Tuesday night. The utility company has come under fire for previous storm responses, including during a large snowstorm last fall that left Westford without power for several days. In July, state Attorney General Martha Coakley proposed fining the company a record $16 million for what she said was an inadequate response to the October storm and also Hurricane Irene last August. The National Weather Sevice had issued a wind advisory Westford and other parts of Massachusetts that ran from 4 p.m. on Tuesday through 6 a.m. on Wednesday. “As a result, National Grid crews and support staff have been…
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The fine is proposed for items including a failure to effectively communicate with customers and officials and to respond during emergency events. National Grid strongly disagrees with the conclusions drawn by the AG.
Last week, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office announced it is seeking fines against the utility National Grid. The utility, meanwhile, strongly disagrees with the conclusions drawn by the AG and will file a response with the Department of Public Utilities. After an investigation by her office determined that utility giant National Grid failed to adequately prepare, respond, and communicate during Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm, Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office is seeking a $16 million fine against the company – the largest penalty ever recommended against a utility in Massachusetts. The AG’s Office made the recommendation in a brief filed Wednesday with the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), …
9:53 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Chris, often the trees near power lines are either in or adjacent to utility easements, making it the utility's responsibility -- not the town's -- to clear the limbs from the lines. In most cases, the town would need to call the utility anyway to come do the work because it might involve needing to temporarily shut power. But it's also the responsibility of homeowners to inform the utility of … more ›
The August 2011 accident that claimed the life of a 70-year-old Westford woman will result in charges against a National Grid driver according to reports from the Boston Herald.
A National Grid driver will now face charges following an accident that claimed the life of a Westford woman on 495 in Southborough. WBZ reports that Jeffrey Fisher of Coventry, RI will be arraigned on Aug. 20 on charges of motor vehicle homicide in relation to the death of 70-year-old Westford resident Xiaoyun Jiang last summer. Jiang was pronounced dead on the scene after a backhoe fell off a National Grid truck Fisher was driving and onto the car of 42-year-old Westford resident Yingzi Wang, who also recieved medical attention along with Jiang and two other passengers. Jiang's family had previously sued National Grid, which according to the WBZ report, admits it had been test driving the truck due to safety concerns.
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Mike
9:34 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Correction....as of this morning, Westford had 138 customers without power more ›