Daily News

BOSTON — Homeowners, renters, and business owners across Massachusetts are always looking for ways to reduce expenses, and that includes energy costs. In recognition of its efforts to help these customers better manage their energy, Eversource was recognized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) with Exemplary Energy Efficiency Program awards for both its Home Energy Services (HES) program and Franchise Customer Initiative in Massachusetts. The national award recognizes the best utility programs across the country.

“It is an honor to be recognized by ACEEE for our programs, which have been very successful,” said Eversource Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner. “We strive to help all of our customers save energy and keep costs down wherever possible. We will continue working with homeowners and business owners across the Commonwealth on customized energy-efficiency solutions that will make their living spaces more comfortable and their businesses more competitive.”

ACEEE’s national review evaluates and recognizes exemplary programs in areas such as direct customer energy savings, cost-effectiveness, customer service, innovation, and expansion potential. 

Eversource’s HES program takes a fuel-blind approach and provides in-home energy assessments, turnkey facilitation of weatherization measures, and 0% financing to help homeowners or renters retrofit their homes with cost-effective, energy-efficient measures. Since 2016, the energy saved through Eversource’s HES program in Massachusetts is enough to power approximately 6,000 homes for a year, and the greenhouse-gas emission reductions are equivalent to taking 1,062 cars off the road for a year.

“We felt like we were getting solid advice on how we could improve our energy use, and we were so surprised by the support we received to make those changes,” said Westhampton homeowners and HES program participants Elizabeth Preston and Cindy White. “To find out that the cost of the work would be offset so significantly with all the program incentives was really exciting.”

Daily News

HARTFORD, Conn. — United Bank announced it will be waiving all deposit-account monthly service charges and offering loan assistance for United customers who are federal government employees and are currently not receiving pay due to the ongoing government shutdown that began on Dec. 22.

“For several hundred of our customers who are federal employees, this is an uncertain time for them and their families. So we want our customers to know we are here for them when their federal paychecks are interrupted,” said William Crawford IV, CEO and president. “Therefore, we will be waiving all deposit account monthly service charges and offering loan assistance for customers who are federal government employees not currently being paid during the government shutdown to help make it a little easier for them to pay their bills, do their banking, and make ends meet until the government reopens.”

United Bank, on a case-by-case basis, will offer loan assistance by making loan modifications for impacted customers, if necessary. To be eligible, the loans must be owned and serviced by United Bank.

To take advantage of this special temporary benefit offered by United Bank, impacted customers must show proof they are a federal government employee, which could include a government-issued ID or their most recent pay stub from the federal government. The benefit will conclude when the federal government reopens.

Anyone who is a federal government employee and United Bank customer and qualifies for these special temporary benefits and has any questions or comments should visit a United Bank branch or call the Customer Care Center at (866) 959-2265.

Daily News

EAST LONGMEADOW — HUB International New England, LLC, a division of HUB International Limited, a leading global insurance brokerage, recently announced that Wendy Fitzgerald has re-joined HUB New England as a strategic account executive, responsible for all things personal (personal insurance/auto, home, condo, renters, and more).

Her role will include handling new business and outreach, renewals, quoting, special projects, and providing support when needed to the Personal Lines team of experts. She will be based out of HUB New England’s East Longmeadow office. Previously, Fitzgerald had been with the HUB/FieldEddy Personal Lines team from 2008 to 2016.

“We are so excited to have Wendy back on our team as every employee is a valued member,” said Timm Marini, president of Personal Lines at HUB New England. “The integrity, entrepreneurship, teamwork, and service HUB provides has helped us get to the successes of today. Adding to HUB’s team, and our growth, is a reflection of our combined hard work. Wendy’s history at HUB is well-regarded and adds to our team of experts that offer local market specialization, value-added solutions, and innovative products.”

Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — CLICK Workspace ​continues its concert series, CLICK Music, with the second show of the winter/spring 2019 season on Friday, Jan. 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. The Chandler Travis Three-O’s will bring CLICK a performance featuring “playful original songs that mix mind-bending wordplay with jazz, shimmering rock, and horn-fuelled R&B,” ​according to John Donohue of the New Yorker.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite or at the door for $17 (cash only). CLICK Music sponsors include Building 8 Brewery, River Valley Co-op, Pixel Edge, Northwest Mutual, and the Law Office of Peter Irvine.