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Summer Swelter: National group urges Massachusetts to ban power shutoffs during hottest months

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Summer Swelter: National group urges Massachusetts to ban power shutoffs during hottest months


Some like it hot, but nobody likes a high bill.

While New England utility customers are accustomed to high winter heating costs, high cooling costs in the summer are becoming more common as the hottest months of the year seem to begin earlier and linger longer.

“For electricity, I’d say I average about $200 a month right now,” Christian Cullen told Boston 25 News as he walked through the Boston Common amid this weekend’s hot temperatures. “It’s pretty solid in the Spring and Fall, but Winter and Summer are where you really see your extremes.”

The National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) predicts the summertime extremes will continue to drive energy bills in the Northeast higher in the years ahead.

“Families think about June, July, and August,” says Mark Wolfe, Executive Director of NEADA. “But the cooling season is getting longer in New England, maybe through September… So the cost of summer cooling is becoming a more important part of the family’s budget than ever before.”

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NEADA is urging Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and 26 other states to adopt laws that would prohibit utilities from shutting off power during the hottest months of the year if a customer is behind on their bill.

New England states already have similar regulations in place for the winter months.

“These periods of extreme heat are relatively new,” Wolfe says. “In the past, Massachusetts might have a day or two of extreme heat, but not a week. So what we’re saying to states… is to think through how you set the rules to help protect families during periods when temperatures are really high.”

NEADA is also pushing for additional funding at the state and federal levels to help offset energy costs for income-qualified families. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, is one such program.

But Wolfe says more is needed. Last week, his organization sent a letter to FEMA asking for extreme heat events to be declared major disasters. Doing so would free up federal funds for affected regions, just like after hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and wildfires. Wolfe says those funds could be used to offset energy costs.

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“FEMA has an important role to play to help lower-income and middle-income families get through these difficult periods,” Wolfe says. “These are not one-offs. This is the long-term.”

A spokesperson for Eversource says energy usage increases by about 40% during the summer months as air conditioners and fans work overtime to keep homes cool.  As of August 1, Eversource has adjusted its basic service rate. The utility says customers should see both savings and more stable bills between the summer and winter months as a result.

For customers looking for more immediate savings, National Grid suggests starting with your thermostat. By raising your air conditioner’s temperature from 75° to 78°, the utility says customers can save around 18% on their bill.

Additional savings can be achieved by changing out dirty air filters, keeping blinds and curtains closed during the day, and limiting the use of heat-generating appliances, such as a stove top or oven.

Most utilities also offer budget payment plans, which can provide customers with a stable and predictable monthly payment for up to a year, taking some of the surprise out of those high summer and winter bills.

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Massachusetts

Is it really going to snow in New England tomorrow? Here’s what to expect from storm

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Is it really going to snow in New England tomorrow? Here’s what to expect from storm


We’re still on the good side of the forecast today. We’ll see a good supply of sun to start, then the clouds will increase and a few showers will sink down from the north in the afternoon. We still manage to make it near 70. (Yay.)

Tomorrow’s high temperatures, however, comes after midnight tonight — before falling toward Saturday morning. If you think that’s confusing, try explaining the snow that’ll be flying in the higher elevations across New England (with solid accumulation above 4k feet).

Yes, the weather is upside down for late May.

We can blame an intense, compact upper-level pool of cold air that broke loose from a larger pool near the Arctic Circle days ago.

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The pattern across North America has dropped it in our laps for a day, with cold, rainy, windy consequences.

Rain, wind and… snow?

This will be a sneaky storm. Early on, there might even be a calm, bright sky (very) early Saturday morning. Then the clouds move in and the wind intensifies from the northeast. Gust will briefly peak at 50+ along the coast (40+ inland).

Rain will mix with snow in northern New England, and perhaps in the highest elevations of southern New Hampshire and central Massachusetts.

This also depends on the intensity of the precipitation. Heavier bursts of rain can drag down colder air aloft, helping the snowflakes make it from cloud base to your home place (if you live above 1k feet).

Ironically, we’re not expecting a deluge from this storm. Most spots keep near a half inch, with higher amounts near an inch in northeast Mass./southern NH.

And then just like that, it’s over. The storm pulls away Saturday evening, the skies clear and we’re back to sun Sunday. Highs recover to near 70 with the slightest chance for a shower late day.

Better chances – and cooler temps – come both Monday and Tuesday.

Will summer ever take hold? We know from past years that June can really struggle. It appears that the start of the month may not live up to expectations. Although we are at least climbing back to the 80s late next week.

Have a good weekend.

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Massachusetts Top Cop Off the Hook for Secret Recording Program

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Massachusetts Top Cop Off the Hook for Secret Recording Program


The head of the Massachusetts State Police can’t be sued for an alleged program that secretly recorded officers’ phone conversations with civilians and used them to bring criminal charges, the First Circuit said Thursday.

A group of Massachusetts residents filed a putative class against against Superintendent Geoffrey Noble, as well as Motorola and other companies, over the secret recordings, which were used to propose criminal charges in at least 181 cases without prosecutors’ knowledge, the three judge panel said.

The opinion by Circuit Judge Seth Aframe said the residents, led by Jason Courtemanche, failed to show how they’d be directly …



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How Hard Health Care Hits MA Family Budgets

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How Hard Health Care Hits MA Family Budgets


Massachusetts families are spending 8% of their monthly income on health care, according to a new study. That puts the Bay State toward the higher end of the scale, coming in at No. 12 in the country.

The analysis from personal finance website WalletHub examined where people are spending the most and the least on health care.

Alaska was No. 1 in the U.S., spending over 10% of their income on health care. On the other end of the scale, Utah residents spend 5% of their income on health care.

“Sharp increases in health care costs in recent years have made it difficult for some people to seek essential care,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. “Even in states with lower-than-average health care prices, residents’ incomes may not be enough to keep up with the cost, especially since virtually every part of Americans’ budgets have been impacted by inflation over the past few years.”

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To determine how much families are spending, WalletHub analyzed the prices of five key health care components across all 50 states, then combined those costs and compared them with each state’s median household income.

Read more: 1 MA Town Among 250 Best Places To Live In US News Ranking

Massachusetts spends the most on health care compared to other states in the region, according to the study. Vermont is the next-highest state in the Northeast, ranking at No. 14 with residents spending 7.98% of their income on health care.

Here are the top 10 states where people are spending the most on health care:

  1. Alaska
  2. Oregon
  3. Maine
  4. Mississippi
  5. West Virginia
  6. New Mexico
  7. North Carolina
  8. Montana
  9. South Dakota
  10. Louisiana

Check out the full study at WalletHub.





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