CenterPoint Energy provides restoration update
2024-05-19T05:00:00Z

​Houston – May 19, 2024 – As of 9:30 p.m. CT, CenterPoint Energy has restored approximately 115,000 additional customers on Sunday as restoration efforts continue. Nearly 700,000 customers, or 75% of customers who were impacted, have been restored in the 72 hours since Category 2 hurricane-like winds and tornadoes devastated parts of its Greater Houston service area on Thursday, May 16. While today's restoration progress was affected by extensive damage and difficult restorations as repairs continued, the company remains on track to be substantially complete with restoration by Wednesday evening.

  • Company restorations total 700,000 customers, or approximately 75% of those impacted by last week's severe weather event
  • Significant progress made toward goal of being substantially complete by Wednesday evening
  • Targeting Monday evening for approximately 85% of customer outages resulting from storm to be restored ​

"We appreciate the continued patience of our customers who lost electricity, especially given the higher temperatures and humidity across our area," said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, Electric Business. “We know it has been a difficult 72 hours for them and we will continue to work around-the-clock to restore their service."

As restoration continues for the approximately 240,000 customers without power, CenterPoint continues to make steady progress, while tackling areas of the system with the most significant damage and difficult restorations. In all, the company anticipates clearing thousands of trees by the end of the restoration event. CenterPoint expects to restore approximately 85% of the customers impacted by Thursday's storms by Monday evening.

CenterPoint reminds customers that severe weather may have caused damage to customer-owned equipment. It is critical that customers should check their weatherhead, the point where power enters the home through an electric service drop, which is often a pipe located on the side of the residence or building. If the weatherhead is damaged, customers will need to contact a qualified electrician to make repairs before the company can restore service to them.

Earlier this evening, the company posted an updated and more detailed customer restoration map by area on its website. It can be accessed at CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. CenterPoint is also utilizing its Power Alert Service® tool to continue targeted restoration updates to customers. 

For the latest information on power outages:

  • Follow @CenterPoint; and


 Recent News

 

 
CenterPoint Energy urges customers to take advantage of utility assistance and resources to help pay heating bills

​Minneapolis – April 29, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy is reminding customers that Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule protection is ending for the winter heating season. The Cold Weather Rule protects Minnesotans who experience difficulty paying heating bills from having their utility service disconnected between Oct. 1 and April 30 if they set up and maintain a payment plan with their utility.

To prevent disconnection of service with the Cold Weather Rule ending for the season, customers who have difficulty paying their monthly heating bill should contact CenterPoint as soon as possible to set up a payment plan and find out if they are eligible for other resources. A payment plan takes into consideration a customer's financial situation and any other special circumstances.

Payment assistance is also available for Minnesotans' heating bills on a first-come, first-served basis while funds remain. Minnesota's Energy Assistance Program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and helps cover home heating costs for income-qualified households. Both renters and homeowners can qualify, with eligibility based on income and household size. For example, a family of four who earn up to $70,552 annually could qualify to receive assistance.

Customers can call CenterPoint at 800-245-2377 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday-Friday, or visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ResourceHub.

Bill management resources available to customers
CenterPoint customers can enroll in an Average Monthly Billing Plan, which spreads costs throughout the year to help manage periods of peak usage such as the winter heating season, at CenterPointEnergy.com/MyAccount or by calling 800-245-2377.

The company also offers its free My Energy Analyzer tool to aid customers in better understanding household energy use and where energy dollars are being spent. Using this tool, customers can identify ways to reduce energy waste and save on their monthly heating bills.
 
Residential energy efficiency programs help save energy and money
CenterPoint offers various energy efficiency programs for residential customers, including renters, to help them save energy and money. For qualifying customers, programs may be available at no cost or a reduced rate. Programs include:

  • Home energy assessment: CenterPoint and Xcel Energy's Home Energy Squad® helps residential customers, including renters, accelerate their energy efficiency journey. Customers receive a home energy audit, personalized energy savings plan with recommendations to reduce energy waste and can get connected to qualified contractors and rebates. Visits may be free or discounted for customers who qualify.
  • Air sealing and insulation rebates: By installing air sealing and insulation measures, customers can maintain a comfortable indoor temperature while reducing energy use. Residential customers can receive rebates of up to $3,000 for work completed by a qualifying contractor. 
  • Rebates to upgrade home appliances and equipment: CenterPoint offers rebates for customers upgrading to more energy-efficient appliances and equipment including furnaces, boilers, water heaters and air source heat pumps.

Customers are encouraged to take advantage of energy efficiency offerings and resources to assist in managing their monthly energy bills. More information on rebates and efficiency programs can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/SaveEnergy. 

CenterPoint Energy is Minnesota's largest natural gas utility, serving more than 930,000 residential and business customers in over 260 communities. ​

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.

​

A Texas first: CenterPoint Energy announces historic installation of weather station network to monitor severe weather, including hurricanes, across Greater Houston

Installation of first phase of 100 weather stations will enhance and improve storm mobilization, preparation and response to major weather events

HOUSTON, April 28, 2025 - Today, CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP) announced that, as part of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI) and its actions to prepare for the 2025 hurricane season, the company has begun installing the first wave of weather monitoring stations to enhance situational awareness during severe weather events. The implementation of this groundbreaking weather network is a historic moment for Texas, as CenterPoint is the only Texas-based investor-owned utility in the state and the first to establish its own weather station network.

Once completed by June 1, CenterPoint's network of 100 weather stations will provide detailed, real-time weather data from all 12 counties in the company's Greater Houston area electric service territory. This data will enable CenterPoint and local emergency partners to better forecast severe weather; more precisely distribute resources in key areas; take faster action to prepare for and respond to potential impacts to the electric system; and better serve customers before, during and after weather events.

"This is a historic moment for CenterPoint and Texas that will help improve our emergency response as we prepare for the upcoming 2025 hurricane season and beyond," said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint's Meteorology Manager and Emergency Preparedness and Response team member, "Our weather network will provide invaluable situational awareness, in real-time, to help us act quickly, proactively and precisely before weather threatens to impact the electrical system and our customers. Best of all, we will be able to share this vital information with all our emergency partners, state and local governments, and the public, so that everyone across our communities can be better prepared."

Important weather station facts and locations
Over 100 weather monitoring stations will be installed over the next month, before the Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1. The weather monitoring stations will be installed in strategic locations on existing electrical infrastructure across CenterPoint's 12-county Greater Houston area electric service territory. The devices will take measurements every 2-5 minutes, including humidity levels, wind speed, temperature and rainfall.

GHRI update: Actions taken to prepare for hurricane season
CenterPoint's weather monitoring network is the latest in a series of historic actions taken as part of the GHRI, designed to prepare for severe weather and create the most resilient coastal grid in the country. By June 1, the company will also have completed additional resiliency actions including:

  • Installing 25,000 stronger, more storm-resilient poles built to withstand extreme winds;
  • Installing 4,850 automated reliability devices capable of self-healing, potentially reducing the impact of outages and improve restoration times;
  • Clearing high-risk vegetation near 4,000 miles of power lines to reduce storm-related outages; and
  • Undergrounding 400 miles of power lines to improve overall resiliency.

Once completed, the array of critical actions will improve overall grid resiliency and reliability and is projected to reduce outages for customers by more than 125 million minutes annually. To learn more about the GHRI and track CenterPoint's progress, 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, 2024, 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.

Forward-looking statements
This news release, as well as the website pages related to the GHRI, includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release or the website pages related to the GHRI, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict," "projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding the GHRI and longer-term resiliency plans, including effectiveness, timing and related matters, are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release or the website pages related to the GHRI regarding future events that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release or the website pages related to the GHRI speaks only as of the date of this release or the date that such statement is made, as applicable. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) business strategies and strategic initiatives, restructurings, joint ventures, acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses involving CenterPoint Energy or its industry; (2) CenterPoint Energy's ability to fund and invest planned capital, and the timely recovery of its investments; (3) financial market and general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory, legislative and political actions or developments; and (5) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more information, contact:
Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy celebrates National Volunteer Week by recognizing the meaningful work employees do to strengthen communities

​HOUSTON – April 24, 2025 – In celebration of National Volunteer Week (April 20 to 26), CenterPoint Energy is proud to recognize its employees for collectively dedicating nearly 3 million hours of volunteer work with nonprofit organizations since 2002. CenterPoint's employees strive to make a positive impact by participating in company-organized volunteer efforts, working directly to support causes they consider meaningful to them and serving on nonprofit organization boards and committees.

In 2024, CenterPoint employees volunteered more than 55,000 volunteer hours to nonprofit organizations, providing over $1.8 million dollars in value to the organizations based on the Independent Sector's Value of Volunteer Time report. Approximately 25% of the company's employees participated in volunteer work, surpassing the average volunteer rate of 13% within the utility industry. Additionally, CenterPoint employees at all levels serve on nonprofit organization boards and committees, donating their time and talents to help service organizations achieve initiatives to strengthen communities. 

“At CenterPoint, we have a deep commitment to giving back to the communities we have the privilege of serving. We invest in strengthening and making our communities more vibrant to help our neighbors achieve extraordinary outcomes," said June Deadrick, Vice President, Community Relations at CenterPoint Energy. “Through our employees volunteering for nonprofit causes meaningful to them and CenterPoint Energy Foundation grants, we provide time, energy and financial contributions to organizations and causes that make a positive lasting impact on the lives of others."  

Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week celebrates the positive impact of community volunteers, showing appreciation for their dedication to making a difference by donating their time and talent.

CenterPoint employees volunteer for nonprofit organizations throughout the communities the company serves, including: 

  • West Side Nut Club Special Needs Kids Day (Indiana) – Since 1921, the West Side Nut Club's mission has been to initiate and promote the betterment of the Evansville area. For the last 11 years, employees have volunteered more than 1,000 hours for the West Side Nut Club's Annual Special Needs Kids Day at the Fall Festival. CenterPoint employees work with children with special needs from southwest Indiana and enjoy a morning full of excitement including rides, games and food.
  • Junior Achievement North (Minnesota) – Since 2011, CenterPoint employee volunteers have worked with Junior Achievement North, helping students discover and explore careers in the energy industry and cultivate valuable teamwork and critical thinking skills through various programs. At the annual Job Shadow event, CenterPoint employees provide deep insight and hands-on experiences to high school students that showcase the variety of careers needed to run a utility company. With JA in a Day, volunteers teach elementary students valuable personal financial education and entrepreneurial skills to prepare them to thrive in the future. In 2024, the CenterPoint Energy shop at Junior Achievement North's Biz Town opened, providing Minnesota students with opportunities to simulate running an energy utility and learn about the value of providing energy to power life's moments.
  • The Foodbank in Dayton (Ohio) — For more than 40 years, The Foodbank has served as the primary source of food for the hunger relief network in the Miami Valley. CenterPoint employees in Ohio have a long tradition of volunteering at The Foodbank in Dayton where they help with The Foodbank's drive-thru food distribution. They unload food from pallets, sort and bag produce, and place bags of food into the cars of clients who rely on the resources provided by The Foodbank. The Foodbank has served the Miami Valley for over 40 years and distributed more than 1.4 million pounds of food through the drive-thru in 2024.
  • Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation (Texas) — The mission of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation is to improve lives through the power of literacy and to realize the vision of literacy for all. CenterPoint employees volunteer with this organization to package books to build home libraries and conduct story time for Houston-area students. In addition to volunteering, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation has supported more than 27,000 books being distributed to schools and to students building their home libraries. CenterPoint employees are thrilled to be able to support efforts to spark a love of reading. 

In addition to employees volunteering to create better outcomes for their communities, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation awarded more than $19 million in 2024 to support nonprofit organizations focused on increasing community vitality and investing in education. 

To learn more about CenterPoint and its commitment to the communities the company serves, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Community.  


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 December 31, 2024, 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 the CenterPoint Energy Foundation
The CenterPoint Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where CenterPoint Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by shareholders and has no impact on customer rates. More information about the Foundation can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/Foundation.​


In celebration of Earth Day, CenterPoint Energy encourages Minnesota customers to take action to reduce their energy use with free and heavily discounted energy efficiency products

​MINNEAPOLIS – April 22, 2025 – In celebration of Earth Day, CenterPoint Energy encourages its Minnesota residential customers to take advantage of a variety of free and heavily discounted energy efficiency products through its Energy Efficiency Store. The products offered are designed to help customers reduce their personal energy use along with emissions while also saving them money.

CenterPoint offers a variety of products through its Energy Efficiency Store including:

  • Smart and programmable thermostats: By using a smart or programmable thermostat, heating and cooling systems can work around a customer's schedule. For a limited time, enjoy discounts on energy-saving thermostats that help customers' homes remain comfortable while reducing energy consumption.
  • Low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators: Showering accounts for 40 percent of a home's hot water use. Energy-saving showerheads and faucet aerators, like those found in the Energy Efficiency Store, can help lower energy costs, reduce hot water use and maintain comfort.
  • Weatherization products: Through weatherstripping, window insulation and pipe insulation, customers can prevent conditioned air from escaping and outdoor air from entering a home.

“At CenterPoint, we want to help customers save energy and manage their bills, and the Energy Efficiency Store is just one of the many ways residential customers can make their homes more energy efficient," said Brad Steber, Vice President of Minnesota Gas at CenterPoint. “We're excited to offer this easy-to-use store that connects customers with products shipped directly to their homes that can make a big difference in cutting energy waste, reducing monthly energy bills and lowering their carbon footprint."

The Energy Efficiency Store makes shopping for energy-saving products simple and accessible to Minnesota residential customers. Customer support is available through the store's live chat, dedicated phone number and email for assistance with ordering products, checking order status and understanding participation eligibility.

Tips, tools and resources for customers to reduce their own footprint and conserve energy:

In addition to the Energy Efficiency Store, CenterPoint reminds customers about the following actions that can help reduce energy use and save money:

  • Change or clean filters in HVAC systems: Whether cooling or heating a home, maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature can represent approximately 50 percent of a home's energy use. Regular maintenance is one of the best ways to extend the life of a system, so swap out or clean filters to minimize costly repairs and maximize efficiency.
  • Reduce the temperature setting on a water heater: Lowering the temperature setting helps reduce emissions, energy use and monthly bills since water heating accounts for approximately 20 percent of the average home's energy use. Having a water heater temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit also helps prevent scalding.
  • Upgrade to more energy efficient appliances and equipment: When replacing appliances and equipment, look for ENERGY STAR®-certified products for increased energy efficiency and cost savings over time. Rebates may be available for qualifying energy efficient appliances and equipment.

Customers can learn more about the Energy Efficiency Store and efficiency programs at CenterPointEnergy.com/ShopMN.

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 December 31, 2024, 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.


Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative Phase Two update: CenterPoint Energy completes 70% of critical resiliency work around Houston to prepare for the 2025 Hurricane Season

In just seven months, CenterPoint has completed 350 miles of targeted undergrounding; installed 17,500+ stronger, more storm-resilient poles; cleared 2,900+ miles of higher-risk vegetation; and placed 3,380+ automated reliability devices to improve grid resiliency

Historic suite of Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative actions will improve customer reliability by reducing outages by more than 125 million minutes annually

HOUSTON, April 9, 2025 - Today, CenterPoint Energy released its latest progress update on the second phase of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), announcing that approximately 70 percent of this historic resiliency work is now complete and that all GHRI-related actions are expected to be complete before the official start of the 2025 hurricane season.

Since announcing the second phase of GHRI last fall, the company has prioritized a broad suite of resiliency actions, including adding thousands more automation devices capable of self-healing; clearing higher-risk vegetation across thousands of more miles of power lines; installing thousands of stronger, more storm-resistant poles; and undergrounding hundreds of miles of power lines. When complete, CenterPoint's GHRI efforts will improve overall grid resiliency and reliability and are estimated to reduce outages for customers by more than 125 million minutes annually.

Among CenterPoint's upcoming GHRI resiliency achievements are: undergrounding the 350th mile of power lines to help improve resiliency and reduce the risk of outages, and beginning the installation of the first of 100 new local weather monitoring stations by June 1 to improve situational awareness and storm preparation across Greater Houston.

"Our entire CenterPoint Houston Electric team is focused on completing this historic suite of grid resiliency actions before the start of hurricane season. That is our goal, and we will achieve it. To date, we have made significant progress as part of this historic effort, including undergrounding power lines, installing new poles, clearing hazardous vegetation and installing automation devices to reduce the impact of future storms and hurricanes." said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Electric Business, "We will continue to work every day to complete these critical improvements as part of our company's goal of building the most resilient coastal grid in the country."

GHRI Progress Update: Undergrounding more than 85% complete
Since CenterPoint launched Phase Two of the GHRI in September 2024, the company has made progress across an array of resiliency goals, including undergrounding nearly 350 miles of power lines to date, which is more than 85 percent toward its target of 400 miles.

In March alone, CenterPoint:

  • Installed an additional 3,300+ stronger, storm-resilient poles built to withstand extreme winds;
  • Installed 1,215 more automated reliability devices capable of self-healing to reduce the impact of outages and improve restoration times;
  • Cleared another 655 miles of high-risk vegetation near power lines to reduce storm-related outages; and
  • Undergrounded 65 more miles of power lines to improve overall resiliency.

Upcoming GHRI actions: Installing 100 new weather monitoring stations
To further improve situational awareness and storm preparation, this month, CenterPoint will begin the build out of a network of 100 new weather monitoring stations across the Greater Houston area. This new weather station network will provide 24/7 weather monitoring and vital information to help CenterPoint better prepare for and respond to upcoming storms. This work will be completed before the 2025 hurricane season.

Improving communication & preparedness
CenterPoint also continues to improve the way it communicates with customers and engages with communities before, during and after extreme weather events. The company is conducting a year-round safety and preparedness campaign to share information on its preparedness efforts, as well as tips and resources for customers. As part of its overall preparedness efforts, and to improve local emergency coordination, CenterPoint continues to meet with local officials and emergency management offices and hold exercises to evaluate and improve its emergency preparedness and response plans before hurricane season.

CenterPoint will continue to provide updates on its progress toward completing these critical resiliency actions and other GHRI commitments. More information and real-time updates are available at CenterPointEnergy.com/TakingAction.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve approximately 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of December 31, 2024, the company owned approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,500 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

Forward-looking Statements 
This news release, as well as the website pages related to the GHRI, includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release or the website pages related to the GHRI, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict," "projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding the GHRI and longer-term resiliency plans, including effectiveness, timing and related matters, are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release or the website pages related to the GHRI regarding future events that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release or the website pages related to the GHRI speaks only as of the date of this release or the date that such statement is made, as applicable. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) business strategies and strategic initiatives, restructurings, joint ventures, acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses involving CenterPoint Energy or its industry; (2) CenterPoint Energy's ability to fund and invest planned capital, and the timely recovery of its investments; (3) financial market and general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory, legislative and political actions or developments; and (5) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

For more information, contact:
Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy