Natural Gas Construction Project FAQs

This work maintains the safety and reliability of natural gas service, modernizing our system to continue to provide you with safe, reliable service

Natural gas main line work

• Plastic and steel lines are replaced with modern materials that increase the safety and reliability of CenterPoint Energy’s natural gas distribution. Impacts may include boring underneath the side of each road or trenching in the road or boulevard.  Possible noise, vibrations and dust can occur during replacements.

Natural gas service line work

• CenterPoint will send notice before the service crew arrives on site. Typically, we can complete work without residents needing to be on site.
• Service lines are typically installed by boring but may need to be plowed. This connects each location to safely receive service. Crews may need to remove at least one sidewalk panel in front of the location and excavate a hole by the outside meter to connect to the service line. Each crew typically completes one block per week.
• Following the installation of a new service line, relights will be needed. A technician will schedule appointments to perform a safety check on each natural gas appliance before relighting them. If we are unable to contact you, a tag will be left for you to call and schedule a relight.

Natural gas meter work

• CenterPoint Energy conducts annual meter age change programs to identify if meters need to be replaced. There is no charge for replacements, but crews will need access to your property. Temporary service interruptions and relight appointments can last two to three hours in total.
• Additionally, if your natural gas meter is located inside your property, crews will work with you to move inside meters to the outside. These appointments are two to three hours long and we will work with you to schedule a time. We also encourage you to work with the crew to decide where the new outside meter will go, keeping limitations in mind such as a minimum of three feet away from windows, doors, vents, etc. Learn more at CenterPointEnergy.com/MeterMove

You will see CenterPoint Energy and our contractors working on the infrastructure in your neighborhood. You will be notified of construction time and traffic impacts – varies depending on the scope of each project. Following the work, we will need to perform relights to restore any service that was turned off. We will contact you to set up an appointment, but if we are unable to contact you, we will leave a relight tag for you to call and schedule on your own.

We have a variety of employees and contractors performing work. You may see: CenterPoint Energy, Equix Integrity, Q3 Contracting or PSC Primoris, Michels Corporation, Storti Quality Services, NPL, RMR, and/or other contractors.

All workers have CenterPoint Energy ID cards. They will gladly show you their ID card upon request.

Last season, you may have had natural gas main work completed, but not service work. This means that the natural gas lines that every property is connected to were successfully replaced, but we now need to replace the lines that connect to your location.

OR

Last season, you may have had natural gas main, service or meter work started in your area, but due to weather and/or restriction dates, we were not able to complete the work, so we are back this season to complete.

OR

Last season, you may have had natural gas main, service and meter work completed, but restoration crews did not have enough time to successfully restore before the winter months. In this case, restoration crews are back to return your yard to its previous condition.

Following construction, our contractors will return your property to its previous condition, as weather permits.

• If you are awaiting replacement of concrete or grass, temperatures need to be above freezing for successful installation.

If temperatures do not allow for the proper conditions to replace the above, we will use temporary materials—like gravel and tar for sidewalks or mesh netting for grass—and we will be back later or the following season for permanent restoration, depending on the time of year construction was completed.

Natural gas main: A line that provides natural gas to an area or neighborhood that customers connect to.

Natural gas service lines: A line that provides natural gas service to a customer directly. A service line ends at the outlet of the customer meter or at the connection to a customer’s piping.

Unless you are notified, no, you do not need to be available during construction. In many scenarios, we are able to complete the work without you needing to be there. Following the work, we will need to perform relights to restore service. We will contact you to set up an appointment, but if we are unable to contact you, we will leave a relight tag for you to call and schedule on your own.

Yes, please mark any private utilities like dog fencing, sprinkler systems, lights, private wells, septic tanks, drainage fields, etc. You may do so with items like flags, paint sticks, and spray paint. We are not liable for any damage to unmarked lines.

Flags will remain in the ground until after the natural gas work and restoration work are complete. If flags are removed before work is complete, locators will need to be sent out again to relocate utilities and flag your yard. These flags are important for crews to be made aware of any utilities, public and private, so we can ensure no other facilities are impacted by our work.

Following the natural gas work and restoration, if any utility flags are left and the crew does not remove them, residents can remove the flags and throw them away. 

We’ll work to notify customers prior to construction occurring via mailed postcards, door tags, emails/texts, social media, etc. We encourage you to make sure your contact information is updated in My Account online and to sign up for additional communications.

If we are conducting natural gas service work or meter work, the natural gas to your property will need to be temporarily shut off. Following the work, we will need to perform relights to restore service. We will contact you to set up an appointment, but if we are unable to contact you, we will leave a relight tag for you to call and schedule on your own.

During the cold weather period, we will not shut off your natural gas unless we have an appointment scheduled with you.

Yes, please follow directions. Signs will be posted and crews will be present to move equipment when needed. Crews will work with you to maintain access to and from your property and will notify you if access will be restricted.

Possibly - depending on the work required and the location of the natural gas main lines, service lines or meters. Prior to beginning, your yard will be assessed to aid in restoring work areas. Weather permitting, restoration is completed as soon as feasible after the completion of the job.

• If you are awaiting replacement of concrete or grass, temperatures need to be above freezing for successful installation.

No, you are not responsible for the costs associated with this work. These modernizations allow us to continue providing safe and reliable natural gas for years to come.

CenterPoint Energy will contact Gopher State One Call 811 to locate public utilities like water, sewer and cable. If you have any private utilities like sprinklers, dog fencing, lights, private wells, septic tanks, drainage fields, etc., we ask that you mark them with flags, paint sticks or spray paint. We are not liable for any damage to unmarked lines.