CenterPoint Energy prepares for winter weather conditions
Company focused on safe, reliable delivery of service to customers in Texas
2022-01-18T06:00:00Z

​Houston – Jan. 18, 2022 – CenterPoint Energy has made preparations for the potential impact from cold temperatures that might affect the region during the remaining winter months. The company is focused on service reliability and continuously prepares for seasonal weather events.

“From cold fronts to hurricanes, we are constantly monitoring weather conditions that could impact our ability to serve our customers. Our preparations take place year-round in anticipation of the various potential seasonal events that occur in our area,” said Scott Doyle, Executive Vice President, Utility Operations. “Whenever severe weather is expected, we begin preparations, start executing on established restoration plans, and deploy the necessary personnel, resources and equipment to restore electricity and natural gas service as safely and quickly as possible.”

Doyle added, “Since the February 2021 winter storm, we have taken additional steps and measures to ensure that we are ready and prepared for winter weather across greater Houston and surrounding communities.”

Some of CenterPoint Energy’s winter weather preparations include: 

  • Completed additional emergency preparedness training to ensure personnel are ready to respond to extreme events.
  • Worked with suppliers to ensure necessary materials for restoration efforts.
  • Hardened transmission system to enhance resiliency.
  • Undergone additional thorough inspections to ensure electrical facilities, including substations and main feeder lines, are ready for high demand and cooler temperatures. This is in addition to regularly scheduled facility inspections and maintenance. 
  • Completed field inspections in accordance with Winter Weather Readiness requirements from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), and recent legislation.
  • Complied with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, Railroad Commission of Texas and PUCT, following all weatherization rules.  
  • Met with regulators, local and state elected officials, and emergency management personnel across its service territory to better understand community needs, including communications, response plans and critical facility designations.
  • Expanded customer weatherization programs targeted toward limited and low-income households.
  • Deployed a voluntary load management program to reduce non-residential customers’ electric consumption for short periods during emergency events so more residential power can remain on.
  • Leveraged enhanced system load rotation automation technology to allow customers to have more regular and predictable outage intervals should a load shed event occur.
  • Received and processed more than 100 critical load applications related to the natural gas industry since the February 2021 winter storm. 
  • Coordinated communications plan in place to inform customers about weather conditions, potential impact on service, and the company’s restoration efforts to its customers through various channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Power Alert Service, Outage Tracker and its website.

In addition, the Texas Legislature passed several new laws in 2021 that provide Transmission and Distribution Utilities (TDUs), like CenterPoint Energy, with new capabilities to further improve reliable energy delivery for their customers, including temporary, limited emergency energy generation during certain widespread outages, as described below. 

CenterPoint Energy has entered into lease agreements with Life Cycle Power, a company that employs a diverse fleet of mobile dual-fuel turbine generators, for emergency back-up generation resources. Through the agreements, CenterPoint Energy will receive up to approximately 500 megawatts of total capacity to be deployed across its greater Houston electric footprint. The mobile generation would support the grid and could allow up to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, that could otherwise be without power, to have electricity during an extreme emergency event.

CenterPoint Energy President and CEO Dave Lesar said, “We have made and will continue to make prudent, strategic investments to support of the safety, reliability and resiliency of our systems for the benefit of our customers and communities.”

Lesar added, “As the ‘poles and wires’ company that delivers energy to our customers, the temporary back-up mobile generation resources will be critical in aiding our ability to continue serving customers during future widespread power outages from weather events or other unanticipated widespread outages across our electric footprint here in Texas. They will also help us to support ERCOT when it calls for a load shed event and ultimately help our customers.”

Under the new statute, a “widespread power outage” is an event that results in a loss of electric power that affects a significant number of distribution customers of a TDU; that has lasted or is expected to last for at least eight hours; and that results in a risk to public safety. TDUs may use temporary back-up generation resources during widespread power outages in which ERCOT has ordered a TDU to shed load or the TDU’s distribution facilities are not being fully served by the bulk power system under normal operations.

The company’s natural gas system performed very well during the February 2021 winter storm, with customers experiencing minimal impact. As part of its continuous improvement efforts, CenterPoint Energy also took additional steps to enhance natural gas service reliability in the greater Houston area and surrounding communities: 

  • Reinforced natural gas system with multiple reliability and capacity improvement projects.
  • Identified and assigned technicians to key stations ahead of cold weather events.
  • Adjusted locations of electronic pressure monitoring devices to monitor system low points, based on customer growth.
  • Added a fourth propane-air peak shaving facility to supplement natural gas supply to CenterPoint Energy’s natural gas distribution system, enhancing reliability for customers during periods of peak demand.
  • Coordinated with the Texas Energy Reliability Council and Railroad Commission of Texas to identify and ensure operations of critical gas infrastructure for natural gas and electric grid reliability.

CenterPoint Energy continues to encourage customers to have an emergency plan, especially if they depend on electricity for life-sustaining equipment and natural gas or electricity to heat their homes. 

For the latest information on power outages:




 Recent News

 

 
In celebration of National Lineworker Appreciation Day, CenterPoint Energy honors frontline workers who work through the hottest days and coldest nights to serve customers and communities

HOUSTON — July 10, 2025 — Every year, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and utilities across the country join together to observe National Lineworker Appreciation Day on July 10. This annual observance honors the life and work of Henry Miller, the first IBEW president, and our nation's frontline electric workers. These dedicated workers serve their communities year-round during the hottest summers and coldest winters by helping deliver safe and reliable electric service to customers every day. These same lineworkers answer the call for mutual assistance from neighboring utilities in other states by responding to hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, winter storms and other extreme weather events, and natural disasters.

“We celebrate this day annually to recognize our highly skilled and highly trained workforce. Whether installing new storm resilient poles, repairing lines impacted by cars or accidents or restoring electric service following an extreme weather event, lineworkers serve as the first responders of our industry," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President, Electric Business. “I want to thank our CenterPoint line men and women for the commitment and sacrifices made by both them and their families every day. A lineworker's job is not an easy one, but on both blue-sky days and after major weather events, our team shows up, works hard, and delivers this critical service to our customers."

CenterPoint's Houston electric lineworkers serve more than 2.8 million metered customers across 12 counties in southeast Texas, maintaining approximately 4,000 circuit miles of transmission lines and approximately 56,000 miles of distribution lines. In addition to installing, maintaining and repairing electric infrastructure such as transmission towers, distribution poles, substations, transformers and wires, these lineworkers also educate the public on electric wire safety and adhere to rigorous safety standards to protect themselves and the communities CenterPoint serves.

They are also playing a critical role in helping the company work toward its goal of building and operating the most resilient coastal grid in the country. Since CenterPoint launched the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI) in August 2024, lineworkers and contractor partners have:

  • installed or replaced more than 26,000 stronger, more storm-resilient poles built to withstand extreme winds;
  • undergrounded more than 400 miles of power lines to improve overall resiliency;
  • installed more than 5,150 more automated reliability devices and intelligent grid switching devices to reduce the impact of outages and improve restoration times; and
  • installed 100 weather monitoring stations to improve situational awareness and storm preparation.

Supporting long-term resiliency and rising energy demand

As part of the company's commitment to harden and strengthen the grid in the Greater Houston area, CenterPoint is focused on helping build the next generation of electric workers to support continued resiliency work and help meet the rapidly growing energy. This next generation of line workers will also support the implementation of CenterPoint's 2026-2028 Systemwide Resiliency Plan, which is designed to strengthen the electric system against extreme weather of the future and reduce outages for customers by nearly 1 billion minutes into 2029.

For more information on CenterPoint's efforts to build a stronger, more resilient grid for its customers, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/TakingAction.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.​


CenterPoint Energy highlights new energy efficiency programs to help Indiana customers save energy and money this summer

​Evansville, Ind. — July 8, 2025 — As temperatures rise and long-range forecasts point to above-normal heat across southwestern Indiana, CenterPoint Energy is reminding customers of the tools, tips and programs available to help manage energy use and summer bills. New energy efficiency offerings now available include in-store discounts on energy-efficient products and no-cost home energy assessments with on-the-spot upgrades.

According to the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center, above-normal temperatures are expected across southwestern Indiana throughout the July–September period. With higher temperatures likely, customers may see increased energy use to keep their homes cool.

“At CenterPoint, we have several resources available to help customers save energy and manage their bills through the summer months and beyond. These new and existing offerings are designed to make saving energy easier, and the Customer Assistance Fund offers additional support for customers who may be facing financial challenges," said Tony Gardner, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer.

Expanded energy efficiency programs
CenterPoint offers a range of new and existing programs to help residential customers reduce energy use and lower their bills this summer:

New offerings

  • In-Store Discounts: Customers can receive instant rebates at checkout on eligible energy-efficient products at participating Lowe's, Home Depot and Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations in the Evansville area. No paperwork or application is required. Discounted items may include dehumidifiers, advanced power strips, air filters, ENERGY STAR® room A/Cs, pipe wrap and more.
  • Home Energy Assessment: Available to all households, this no-cost assessment includes on-the-spot upgrades such as weatherstripping, aerators, pipe insulation and a smart thermostat. Customers also receive a personalized home energy report with tailored recommendations.

Other programs

  • Energy Efficiency Store and Thermostat Promotion: Customers can shop CenterPoint's online Energy Efficiency Store to purchase discounted energy-saving products, delivered directly to your home. Through July 18, while supplies last, customers can also take advantage of a special promotion: save an additional $30 on the Google Nest Thermostat® or $40 on the Google Nest Learning Thermostat®.
  • Smart Cycle: Enrolled customers can receive bill credits during peak summer usage months by allowing CenterPoint to briefly adjust their smart thermostats by up to four degrees to help manage energy use. Before each event, homes are pre-cooled to maintain comfort and customers can override adjustments anytime. Customers can enroll online at CenterPointEnergy.com/SmartCycle.
  • Neighborhood Weatherization Program: Income-qualified customers can access no-cost home assessments and on-the-spot upgrades, similar to those offered through the Home Energy Assessment. Participants in this program may be eligible for additional improvements, such as insulation and furnace tune-ups, at no extra cost.

Summer bill payment assistance now available through the Customer Assistance Fund

The Customer Assistance Fund (CAF) provides direct bill support to eligible southwestern Indiana customers who may be facing financial challenges. Summer assistance is now available to support customers who use electricity to cool their homes.

Customers may apply once during the calendar year. Those customers who already received assistance in 2025 are ineligible until the new funding year begins in 2026 as funding is only allotted once per calendar year.

Administered in partnership with The Salvation Army Indiana Division, the CAF features an easy and accessible application process. More information is available at CenterPointEnergy.com/CAF. 

Additional tips, tools and resources for customers for energy and cost savings

Customers can do the following to stay comfortable while saving energy and money:

  • Turn up the thermostat when leaving home: Raise the temperature a few degrees when away from home for energy savings. With a smart or programmable thermostat, a cooling system can work around a customer's schedule.
  • Change or clean filters in HVAC systems: Air conditioning represents approximately 50 percent of a home's energy use when it's warm out. Regular maintenance can extend the life of a home's system, so change or clean filters to keep the system running efficiently.
  • Slay energy vampires: Energy drainers – also known as “energy vampires"– are electronic devices and appliances that suck up electricity by hovering in standby or ready mode without fully powering off. Save energy by turning off non-essential electric appliances, equipment and lights when not in use. 
  • Use ceiling fans to circulate cool air: Setting ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise helps circulate cool air and keep rooms at a comfortable temperature.
  • Keep warm air out: Use weatherstripping or caulk areas in and around a home where cooled air may escape, such as around windows and doors or anywhere else warm air might enter.
  • Block the sun's rays: When temperatures increase outside, keep window coverings closed when the sun is shining brightest to maintain a more comfortable indoor temperature.
  • Upgrade appliances and equipment: When replacing appliances and equipment, choose models with increased energy efficiency ratings for long-term cost savings. Rebates may be available for qualifying appliances.​

Customers can learn more about tips and programs that can help them prepare for the longer and warmer days at CenterPointEnergy.com/SavingsTips.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Second Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call

Thursday, July 24, 2025

7:00 a.m. Central / 8:00 a.m. Eastern

HOUSTON, July 7, 2025 - CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) has scheduled a conference call for Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 7:00 a.m. Central time or 8:00 a.m. Eastern time, to discuss Second Quarter results. Earnings will be released the same day before the market opens.

If you would like to participate in the conference call, please register here:

https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/pk75xytb

CenterPoint Energy will also provide a live audio webcast of the conference call, which can be accessed at CenterPointEnergy.com. Click on the Investors link and the link, "CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Second Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call Webcast."  The webcast will be archived on the company's website for at least one year.

Contact:
Chayla Franklin
713-207-6500

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc

First CenterPoint Energy Resiliency Technology Summit showcases innovative new tools to help improve hurricane preparedness and response

Global technology leaders share best practices and demonstrate advanced technologies and AI tools being used to enhance storm preparedness and emergency response

HOUSTON, June 25, 2025 - As part of its commitment to build the most resilient coast grid in the country, and to better serve its 2.8 million customers throughout the 2025 hurricane season and beyond, CenterPoint Energy hosted its first ever Technology Summit alongside seven global leaders in AI tools, data analytics and other cutting-edge technologies. The new strategic relationships with Climavision, Convey (formerly Message Broadcast), Neara, Palantir, Pano AI, Technosylva and Urbint will help CenterPoint improve overall operations, identify critical system upgrades, enhance situational awareness, and strengthen storm preparedness and emergency response efforts.

"We are committed to working with the best and brightest to achieve our goal of building and operating the most resilient coastal grid in the country. These global leaders are enabling CenterPoint to leverage the latest innovations in AI, machine learning and other areas to help Houston be better prepared for more powerful hurricanes and storms. Most importantly, these new technologies and tools will help us respond more effectively to emergencies and provide the more reliable, resilient service our customers expect and deserve," said Jason Wells, President and Chief Executive Officer of CenterPoint Energy.

Advanced Technologies: Strengthening Resiliency and Emergency Readiness

During the 2025 Technology Summit, representatives of CenterPoint and global tech leaders engaged with elected officials, local emergency managers and community leaders to demonstrate how these advanced technologies will enhance CenterPoint's efforts to prepare for extreme weather events, including in four key areas:

  • Targeting critical system upgrades: Working with Neara and Technosylva , CenterPoint is enhancing how it plans and executes targeted resiliency actions to strengthen the system against extreme weather.
  • Improving situational awareness and storm preparedness: Climavision and Pano AI are helping CenterPoint improve real-time weather monitoring, AI forecasting and risk detection – enabling CenterPoint to more effectively predict and monitor weather risks to Houston's energy infrastructure.
  • Keeping customers better informed: CenterPoint is using critical tools from Convey to modernize communication operations and efficiently manage interactions, strengthening the company's ability to deliver real-time emergency communications to millions of customers.
  • Strengthening emergency response: Technologies from Palantir and Urbint are helping CenterPoint connect data across its assets to respond to storms more effectively and enhancing onboarding and deployment of mutual assistance crews in an emergency.

Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative: Key Actions and Improvements

CenterPoint's strategic technology relationships are the latest part of a broader series of actions to improve resiliency, communication and partnerships through the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), launched in August 2024. Over the first two phases of GHRI, which were completed ahead of schedule and before the start of hurricane season on June 1, CenterPoint took the following actions:

  • Installed 26,000+ stronger, storm-resilient poles to withstand extreme winds;
  • Added 5,150+ automation devices to improve restoration times;
  • Cleared 6,000+ miles of higher-risk vegetation to reduce storm-related outages;
  • Undergrounded 400+ miles of power lines to improve overall resiliency;
  • Installed 100+ weather stations across our service territory to improve situational awareness and storm preparation;
  • Donated 21 backup generators to critical facilities across the company's 12-county service area; and
  • Launched a new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker to provide real-time updates on outages and restoration efforts in English and Spanish.

The company will continue working throughout the 2025 hurricane season to further strengthen resiliency and address potential system impacts from storms and extreme weather. For more information and updates on GHRI, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/TakingAction .

Media Contact: Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

About Climavision

Climavision brings together the power of a proprietary, high resolution supplemental weather radar network with its cutting-edge Horizon AI forecasting technology suite to close significant weather observation gaps and drastically improve forecast speed and accuracy. Climavision's revolutionary approach to climate technology is poised to help reduce the economic risks of volatile weather on companies, governments, and communities alike. Climavision is backed by The Rise Fund, the world's largest global impact platform committed to achieving measurable, positive social and environmental outcomes alongside competitive financial returns. The company is headquartered in Louisville, KY, with research and development operations in Raleigh, NC. To learn more, visit www.Climavision.com.

About Convey

Convey delivers intelligent customer workflows that humanize connections in regulated environments. Formerly Message Broadcast, Convey transforms compliance requirements into streamlined experiences through purpose-built solutions that deliver measurable impact for utilities and essential service providers. Our platform helps organizations modernize operations and set new engagement standards while efficiently managing millions of interactions. Reimagine the customer journey at goconvey.com.

About Neara

Neara is a physics-enabled digital twin that eclipses traditional visualization capabilities to deliver a geometrically accurate 3D spatial model of entire infrastructure networks. The model applies detailed individual asset-level analysis to entire integrated infrastructure, providing a context-rich representation of how assets actually behave and react in the physical world in any scenario. Neara connects the granular perspective engineers need to maintain a safe and structurally sound grid system with the network-wide view business leaders need to improve outcomes with effective network investments via high-velocity, automated analysis. With Neara, asset owners upgrade daily reality from reacting to dozens of problems in a context vacuum to proactively identifying exactly where and how to allocate capital for maximum community benefit through an integrated lens. Neara has modeled more than 2 million miles of infrastructure across four continents, enabling customers to save millions each year while improving resiliency and reliability, and transforming processes that once took years into outcomes delivered in hours. More information is available at www.neara.com.

About Palantir

Palantir partners with utilities to modernize the grid, mitigate risk, improve safety, and adapt to changing demand and production patterns. Utilities have a complex data ecosystem that is often challenging to leverage, but we've helped partners optimize their operations at speed and meet complex challenges with data-driven decisions. Today, leading organizations use Palantir software to power critical decisions and operationalize AI. Workflows help address load management optimization, grid upgrades, emergency prevention and response, procurement bottlenecks, and more.

About Pano AI

Pano AI is the leader in AI-powered wildfire detection. Launched in 2020, the company provides advanced early detection and situational awareness solutions to fire agencies, utilities, governments, and private landholders to help protect people, property, and infrastructure from catastrophic wildfires. With deployments across the U.S., Canada, and Australia, Pano AI is building a new standard for real-time wildfire intelligence. To learn more, visit www.pano.ai or follow the company on LinkedIn.

About Technosylva

Technosylva is the leading provider of wildfire and extreme weather modeling, risk mitigation, and operational response software. Technosylva's market-leading solutions, enhanced by AI and machine learning capabilities, provide real-time and predictive insights into developing wildfire and extreme weather risks to support electric utility, insurance, and government agency customers. Founded in 1997, Technosylva has offices in La Jolla, CA, León, Spain, and Calgary, Canada. Learn more at www.Technosylva.com.

About Urbint

Urbint is the world leader in operational resilience for energy and utilities. Urbint's solutions use Artificial Intelligence and the latest industry science to predict and manage emergencies, protect assets and keep people safe. Urbint's suite features three end-to-end solutions: 1) Worker Safety, which provides digital job safety briefs and energy-based observation workflows to reduce exposure at the point of work; 2) Damage Prevention, which manages and risk-profiles 811 tickets to help prevent third-party damages to underground assets; and 3) Emergency Preparedness & Response, which connects the entire natural disaster lifecycle to predict impact and increase a utility's response to reduce customer downtime. The largest energy and infrastructure companies trust Urbint to protect workers, assets, communities, and the environment. Learn more at urbint.com.

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy introduces a redesigned Indiana South electric bill

​EVANSVILLE, Ind. – June 24, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy today announced an updated format of its electric bill for Indiana South customers. The revised layout is designed to provide a clearer breakdown of monthly charges and support greater customer understanding of their energy use and how bills are calculated.

The bill revisions do not add any new charges. Instead, existing electric charges will now be grouped and labeled under four clearly organized groups – Customer Facilities Charge, Variable Base Charges, Fuel Charges and Adjustments – to help customers understand how each item contributes to their total bill.

“Improving how we communicate with customers is a responsibility we take seriously," said Mike Roeder, CenterPoint's Senior Vice President, External Affairs. “This update builds on regulatory direction and customer feedback, and it reflects the transparency we are committed to bringing to every aspect of the customer experience. We've listened to the feedback from our customers and hope to bring a better understanding of the various components of the CenterPoint bill."

This update builds on the framework outlined in the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission's final order in CenterPoint's most recent rate case, which directed the company to add broad categories to its bill presentation. CenterPoint expanded on that guidance by introducing the four itemized groups.

Recent customer experience improvements
The updated bill format is part of CenterPoint's broader effort to enhance how it communicates with and supports Indiana customers. In recent months, the company has also introduced new tools to improve the overall customer experience:

  • Outage Tracker: A mobile-friendly outage map that includes weather overlays, satellite views and a Spanish-language option. Visit CenterPointEnergy.com/OutageTracker to view current conditions and report outages.
  • Action Center: A centralized online resource with safety tips, restoration updates and community information to help customers stay informed during outages and service interruptions. Explore at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

​Additional information about the revised bill format is available at CenterPointEnergy.com/MyItemizedBill.​