Your Car and Hurricane Earl

If that’s you and your car after the next storm like Hurricane Earl, don’t be left out in the cold (and the wind, and the rain, and the whatever-else-the-storm-has-to-offer…) without Auto Physical Damage coverage on your Amherst MA Car Insurance policy from Encharter Insurance!  

Unfortunately, in preparation for Earl, the insurance companies our agency represents have issued a restriction on binding authority (from the day before yesterday until the storm passes). This helps prevent unscrupulous people from buying insurance right before a storm and then canceling the coverage right after. But, all the more reason to buy it BEFORE you need it!

 So talk to your local Encharter Insurance agent about your Amherst MA Car Insurance policy or even your Amherst MA Homeowners Insurance or your Amherst MA Life Insurance policy. They want to help you find the best possible coverage for the best possible price. You can contact us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, be sure to find us on Facebook© and Twitter©!

 Also see our blog entry on Homeowner’s Insurance and Hurricane Earl!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Are You A Homeowner With An Oil Heating System?

If you’re a homeowner in Massachusetts and you use oil to heat your home, then this blog entry is for you! Massachusetts is implementing some new regulations about home oil heating systems to prevent hazards from leaks, and the deadline for compliance is September 30, 2011. According to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s website, “This law has two major provisions that require:
• the installations of either an oil safety valve or oil supply line with protective sleeve on systems that do not currently have these devices; and
• insurance companies that write homeowner policies to offer coverage for leaks from heating systems that use oil.”
And “although it is mandatory that insurance companies make this coverage available by July 1, 2010 to homeowners whose systems are upgraded, the insurance is an optional purchase.”

If you have any questions or concerns about these new regulations, visit our other blogs on the topic: MA Insurance Blog and Encharter Insurance Amherst on June 30, or you can always visit the Mass DEP website!

And, as always, if you have any questions about Amherst MA Homeowners Insurance, Amherst MA Car Insurance, Amherst MA Life Insurance or Amherst MA Business Insurance, we’d like to help! Contact your local Encharter Insurance agent by calling us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, be sure to find us on Twitter© and Facebook©!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Protect Your Stuff…Especially in a Dorm

Hey there, college students! You’re getting ready to head back to school and I am so jealous! College was so fun. I loved getting back together with friends and I even loved going back to classes. But I think the thing I liked the most about college was having my own space. For two years in school, I didn’t have a roommate and I loved it. I could organize my room the way I wanted it and I could keep it clean. What a downer it would have been if something happened to my stuff!

But there’s good news! Your parents’ Homeowner’s Insurance policy may give you 10% of the contents limit listed in the coverage. If you or your parents are interested in learning more about this type of coverage, contact your local Encharter Insurance today!

And if you have questions about Amherst MA Car Insurance, Amherst MA Life Insurance or Amherst MA Business Insurance, we’d like to help with too! You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And be sure to find us on Twitter© and Facebook© as well!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Not-So-New News: MA Regulations on Oil Home Heating Systems

There has been a lot of buzz lately about the newest Massachusetts laws regarding home heating systems that use oil. It’s important to make sure that you are adequately informed and that your home is in compliance. To learn more about the new laws, see the MA Department of Environmental Protection’s website: http://www.mass.gov/dep/cleanup/laws/hhsl.htm

You can also visit our other blogs on the topic:

• http://www.mainsuranceblog.com/?p=77
• http://encharterinsuranceamherstma.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/homeowner-oil-heating-system-upgrade-and-insurance-law/
• http://encharterinsuranceamherstma.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/new-regulations-for-oil-home-heating-systems/

And of course, if you have any questions about Amherst MA Car Insurance, Amherst MA Life Insurance, Amherst MA Homeowner’s Insurance or Amherst MA Business Insurance, contact your local Encharter Insurance today! You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, you can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

American Bandstand: The Encharter Way!

August 5 marks the anniversary of the television debut of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, so all of us at Encharter Insurance wanted to celebrate! Our friends from Astonish Results came to visit and took some great pictures of our Amherst office.

Then they stuck around for some root beer floats and some good ol’fashioned 50s pop music.

And finally, we chose our winner for our best-dressed contest!

We had a great time and we like to let that positivity overflow into our work. If you have a question about Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance or Amherst Business Insurance, we want to help! Call us at 888-865-1244, visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, you can find us on Twitter and Facebook!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!“

Bicycle Safety

As summer continues to roll along and so do our bicycles, it would be a big mistake to disregard the importance of bicycle safety. As you watch the video from the Insurance Information Institute, keep in mind the value of a helmet and be sure to do all that you can to convince your loved ones to wear one.

And remember, if you have any questions about Amherst MA Car Insurance, Amherst MA Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst MA Life Insurance or Amherst MA Business Insurance, Encharter Insurance would like to help! You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, you can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Bub’s Bar-B-Q On “The Today Show”

Of course, there are always the exceptions to every rule. With that in mind, I think it’s safe to say that men love barbecue and they love ribs! So what better place to get ribs for men than at a place recommended by men for men? Bub’s Bar-B-Q was in Esquire Magazine’s April 2010 issue as one of their top 20 picks for “Best Places for Men to Eat”. They were also picked by the Phantom Gourmet as “Some of the best BBQ in New England”.

And now to add to their list of achievements, they were one of three restaurants featured on “The Today Show” on June 29^th in a BBQ cook-off (see video).

Visit their website today to see their hours, their menu and to get directions so that you too can “Pig Out In Style!”

And if you have any questions about Amherst Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance or Amherst Business Insurance, the agents at Encharter Insurance would like to help! You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, you can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Sleeping Tips for Summer

After the past few hot and humid summer nights, if you don’t already have air conditioning, I’m sure you are now seriously considering it! While it can be nice to walk into an air-conditioned room and feel as though you have travelled to a different season or climate all together, you might want to consider trying some of these tricks we found on wikihow before you run out to make a hefty investment.

1. Put a bag of ice cubes into a shallow container in front of a fan. Point the fan towards you in your bed. As the moving air from the fan heads toward you the coolness from the ice should chill the even more to “mimic air conditioning”.
2. Place a cool damp facecloth on your forehead while lying in bed. If it gets warm, flip it over.
3. Place your bed linens in bags in your freezer all day and make your bed right before its time to go to sleep.
4. “Make a Rice Sock and place it in the freezer and leave it there for at least two hours. When you turn in, bring the bag with you to use as a cool compress. Try placing it under your pillow so it’s nice and cool when you flip it over.”
5. If you live in a home with multiple stories, sleeping downstairs will be cooler since warm air rises.
6. Try to lower your body temperature by rinsing your wrists under cold water for about a minute, splash cold water on your face or even take a cold shower before calling it a night.

There are few things worse than the discomfort that comes with not being able to fall asleep because of the heat and humidity of a breezeless, midsummer’s night. Try some of these tips to see if you can catch some shut-eye and let us know what works for you!

Also, if you have any questions about Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance or Amherst Business Insurance, contact us today! You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com  or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, you can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©!

 At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Encharter Insurance and Partners Giving Back

We would just like to give the people at Valley ComputerWorks in Hadley and Ink & Toner Solutions in Amherst MA some major props for completing their food drive last month. It’s nice to see that local businesses, especially Partners of Encharter, are “partnering” up to give back to the community. We are proud to work with them and we are proud to have been a part of this food drive. Our Encharter Insurance employees were very generous and, again, we’d like to thank Valley ComputerWorks and Ink & Toner Solutions for the opportunity to serve our community in this way.

If you have any questions about Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance or Amherst Business Insurance, contact us today! You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com  or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, you can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law

Did you know that Massachusetts has changed the Homeowner Oil Heating System and Insurance Law? It’s very important to know whether this applies to you, since upgrades need to be made by September 30^th of this year. According to MassDEP, the two biggest conditions of the change are:

• the installation of either an oil safety valve or an oil supply line with protective sleeve on systems that do not currently have these devices; and
• Insurance companies that write homeowner policies to offer coverage for leaks from heating systems that use oil. 

Encharter Insurance wants to help protect you from the hazards associated with an oil leak so, to find out more about this upgrade including: exemptions, its necessity, and associated costs, visit the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection or call your local Encharter agent today. In addition, click to see a list of licensed technicians who can perform the upgrade for you, don’t try to do this on your own!

And if you have any questions about Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance or Amherst Business Insurance, we’d like to help with that too! You can call us at 888-865-1244, visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, you can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”