Press Releases


SEEAL partners, NSTAR improve energy-use habits in Southeastern Mass

Released: June 28, 2007

Contact SEEAL (Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance) now to save energy and take control of your electric bill.

For a limited time only, SEEAL can offer up to 100 easy-to-read devices that calculate electricity use in real time. Thanks to a small grant from a donor advised fund of the Community Foundation of Southeaster Massachusetts,(CFSEMA), SEEALis able to team up with NSTAR in an effort to educate residents and change energy use habits in Southeastern Massachusetts.

SEEAL, a program fund of CFSEMA, was formed in 1997 to promote collaboration among organizations that are involved in environmental education. Today, SEEAL counts more than 50 regional partner organizations, including service agencies, community groups, nonprofits, and public, charter and vocational schools, colleges, and universities. Some of its lead partners include The Trustees of Reservations, UMass Dartmouth, Fairhaven Public Schools, Lloyd Center for the Environment, and Westport River Watershed Alliance.

SEEAL noticed recently that NSTAR is enhancing its successful energy efficiency programs by offering a reduced price on the PowerCost Monitor™. The monitor connects easily to most residential electric meters and transmits electricity usage information wirelessly to a handheld device inside the home. Consumers can see exactly how much electricity they are using in their home and what the hourly cost is at the time.

Studies have shown that people who can see and understand their electricity usage with feedback technology were able to reduce consumption up to 15 percent. By using a PowerCost Monitor™ in their home, NSTAR Electric customers can see which appliances are the most expensive to run, the immediate impact of turning various appliances on and off, and the results of switching to energy efficient appliances and lighting.

"I see these energy monitors as a way to raise public awareness of energy waste. The average household rarely checks that hard-to-read electric meter on the side of the house, but if it was on the kitchen counter where people could regularly glance at their current consumption, I think we would see some big changes," says Joe Yarmac, an environmental engineering teacher at Fairhaven High School and Co-vice President of SEEAL.

Take control of your energy usage. To learn how to be one of the 100 households, contact SEEAL Coordinator Jennifer Marshall at jmarshall@seeal.org or at 508-493-4343. To be eligible, you will be required to provide your name, address, and NSTAR account number. The offer is first come, first served and ends July 21st.

SEEAL’s mission is to encourage environmental awareness and stewardship in Southeastern Massachusetts. To learn more about SEEAL, to get involved and/or to make a donation, please contact 508-493-4343 or jmarshall@seeal.org. To learn on your own more about the PowerCost Monitor, please visit online at www.nstar.com or at www.save-electricity.ca.

NSTAR transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas to 1.4 million customers in Eastern and Central Massachusetts, including over one million electric customers in 81 communities and 300,000 gas customers in 51 communities.


About the Community Foundation:

Since 1995, area residents have been turning to the Community Foundation to make their philanthropic giving as effective as possible. CFSEMA is a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern – improving the quality of life in Southeastern Massachusetts.

While the Foundation’s primary grantmaking focus is on the SouthCoast communities of Greater New Bedford, Greater Fall River, and Greater Plymouth County, CFSEMA is a regional foundation serving 41 cities and towns. To date, the Community Foundation has assets of more than $18 million and has distributed nearly $5 million from 108 funds to humanitarian, educational and cultural organizations in the region. To learn more about the Foundation, visit www.cfsema.org.