MINNEAPOLIS – September 26, 2008 – CenterPoint Energy was awarded highest ranking in a tie in the Midwest Region of the J.D. Power and Associates (J.D. Power) 2008 Residential Gas Utility Customer Satisfaction Study.  CenterPoint Energy has ranked among the top Midwest Region utilities for six of the past seven years the study has been conducted.

 “We are proud to be ranked highest in customer satisfaction because providing quality customer service is the cornerstone to being a leading energy delivery company,” said David Baker, division vice president of regional operations for CenterPoint Energy.   “I would like to thank our customers for this top rating of satisfaction and thank our employees for their daily dedication towards providing excellent customer service, demonstrating the value of natural gas, and working hard to make our communities a better place to live.”  

The J.D. Power study is a comprehensive evaluation of customers’ attitudes in six different dimensions: company image, billing and payment, price and value, communications, customer service and field service.  CenterPoint Energy ranked in the top quartile in all six dimensions. 

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, interstate pipelines and field services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. Assets total over $17 billion. With about 8,600 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 130 years. In Minnesota, CenterPoint Energy is the state’s largest natural gas distribution utility, serving nearly 790,000 customers in 260 communities. The utility also operates a non-regulated business in Minnesota called Home Service Plus®. For more information, visit the Web site at www.CenterPointEnergy.com.