CenterPoint Energy Inc.

02/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/03/2026 09:08

CenterPoint Energy encourages Ohio customers to explore bill management options to benefit sooner

2026-02-03T06:00:00Z

​Current bills to reflect January's extreme cold

Payment assistance, flexible billing options and energy-saving resources available

DAYTON, Ohio - Feb. 2, 2026 - As CenterPoint Energy customers continue receiving February bills reflecting January's extreme weather, the company is encouraging those who may need help managing their energy costs to explore available resources now to manage potential bill assistance needs.

January 2026 brought record-breaking snowfall to the region during Winter Storm Fern. The National Weather Service reported the longest streak of consecutive days below freezing since 2017-18. It marks the sixth time since 1893 the region has experienced an extended freeze of this magnitude. When temperatures fall this dramatically, heating systems work harder to maintain indoor comfort, resulting in increased energy usage reflected in monthly bills.

Natural gas commodity prices also rose sharply during the storm as severe weather disrupted production in key supply regions nationwide. These costs, set by national markets, are passed through to customers dollar-for-dollar without markup. Every year, the company procures gas on behalf of customers using tools to mitigate most of the exposure to large, demand-based market swings. CenterPoint does not control or profit from the price of natural gas.

"We understand that colder weather drove more heating use which is generating challenging higher bills," said Mike Wilson, Centerpoint's VP, Ohio Gas. "We want customers to know that help is available. Our Resource Hub brings together assistance programs, payment options and energy-saving tools, all in one place."

The company also offers Budget Billing, which spreads energy costs evenly across the year for more predictable monthly bills.

Customers can sign up for Budget Billing and explore other resources by visiting CenterPoint's improved Resource Hub at CenterPointEnergy.com/ResourceHub or call 800-227-1376.

As cold weather continues, CenterPoint reminds customers to be aware of the warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Early symptoms such as headache and fatigue are similar to the flu, but without a fever. Continued CO exposure can lead to more severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, difficulty thinking clearly and fainting. If everyone in a household is experiencing these symptoms, it could be CO poisoning. If CO poisoning is suspected, leave the area immediately, get fresh air and call 911.
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To help manage winter heating bills, CenterPoint Energy encourages customers to use available resources and programs

MINNEAPOLIS - Jan. 29, 2026 - CenterPoint Energy encourages residential customers to use tools and resources that may be available to help manage their natural gas bills. Throughout the year, but especially in the winter months when home heating costs are historically higher, CenterPoint urges customers facing hardship to call the company now to find out about payment arrangements, energy efficiency programs and external agency resources.​

"For customers needing payment assistance resources, we offer various tools and programs to help them manage their natural gas bills and provide pathways to reducing energy use. Our representatives work with each customer to identify programs that may be available throughout the winter heating season. We encourage customers that need support in managing their bills to contact us now to set up a payment plan and find out more about energy assistance programs," said Brad Steber, CenterPoint Energy's Vice President, Minnesota Gas.

Cold weather protections for residential customers
Under Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule, residential customers having difficulty paying their heating bills are required to set up a payment plan with their utility. Setting up and maintaining a payment plan helps prevent disconnection of service through April 30, 2026.

CenterPoint customers can call 800-245-2377 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday-Friday, or visit CenterPointEnergy.com/PaymentAssistance to arrange a payment plan. A payment agreement must consider a customer's financial situation and any extenuating household circumstances.

Payment assistance and bill management resources
CenterPoint representatives can also refer customers to external resources that provide financial assistance for heating costs such as Minnesota's Energy Assistance Program. This program helps pay for home heating costs and furnace repairs for income-eligible households. Applications are being accepted for this program, and funds remain to assist Minnesotans this heating season.

CenterPoint customers can also enroll in an Average Monthly Billing Plan, which spreads costs throughout the year to balance out payments and helps customers manage winter payment peaks, at CenterPointEnergy.com/MyAccount or by calling 800-245-2377.

Energy efficiency programs support customers in reducing their energy use
Various energy efficiency programs are available for residential customers, including renters. For qualifying customers, these programs may be available at a reduced rate or at no cost. Programs include:

  • Home energy assessment: The Home Energy Squad® is a home energy assessment program provided by CenterPoint and Xcel Energy that provides customers with a personalized energy savings plan and support in identifying qualified contractors and rebates. Through Jan. 31, customers scheduling their visit will receive half off with discount code NEWYEAR50. Schedule a visit at: CenterPointEnergy.com/HomeEnergySquad.
  • Visit the online Energy Efficiency Store: CenterPoint offers a variety of free and discounted products through its online Energy Efficiency Store including smart and programmable thermostats, window insulation kits, weatherstripping, low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators.
  • Air sealing and insulation rebates: By weatherizing a home through air sealing and insulation efforts, customers can prevent heat loss from their homes and reduce their energy use. Residential customers can receive rebates of up to $3,000 for work completed by a qualifying contractor.

Learn more about energy efficiency programs at CenterPointEnergy.com/SaveEnergy.

CenterPoint Energy urges Minnesota natural gas customers to continue taking actions to conserve energy

Customers that lower their thermostat can save energy and money as natural gas prices rise due to increased demand across the country

MINNEAPOLIS - Jan. 27, 2026- Due to the ongoing extreme cold across much of the country, increased demand for natural gas is causing a short-term increase in natural gas prices. CenterPoint Energy is continuing to urge its Minnesota customers to take actions to help conserve energy, including temporarily lowering their thermostat settings, health permitting. The price that CenterPoint pays for natural gas is the same price charged to customers with no mark-up, and the company does not profit from the overall cost of natural gas.

Starting today and potentially through at least Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, CenterPoint is asking its customers, if possible, to reduce their thermostat settings to 65 degrees during the day when at home and lower the setting an additional five degrees when they are asleep or away from home. Home heating costs represent roughly 50% of a customer's monthly energy bill, and this energy conservation step can limit the impact of higher natural gas prices on customers' bills.

CenterPoint reminds customers that it is actively working across the company's Minnesota service area to continue providing safe, reliable and resilient energy. The company urges customers to have a personal cold weather plan in place to stay safe and warm.

Actions customers can take to reduce energy use
CenterPoint encourages customers to use these additional energy-saving tips to help manager their bill and energy use:

  • Lower the temperature setting on the water heater. Water heating accounts for approximately 20% of a home's overall energy use. Reducing a water heater's temperature to 120 degrees F from 140 degrees can help reduce water heating costs by 10% while also preventing scalding.
  • Check the furnace filter. Change or clean the filter to maximize the efficiency of the furnace.
  • Use window coverings and blinds effectively. If it's sunny outside, open window coverings during the day to capture warmth from the sun, and close coverings at night to keep warmth inside. If the sun's not shining, keep window coverings closed.
  • Keep cold air out. Use caulk or weather-stripping to seal leaks around doors, windows and other openings such as pipes or ducts. Close fireplace dampers when not in use to trap the heat.
  • Use a ceiling fan smartly. Set a ceiling fan to turn clockwise, and slowly, to move heat from near the ceiling to living levels to increase comfort.

Visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyForWinter for more energy-saving tips and resources for customers to stay safe and warm.

Payment assistance resources for customers
CenterPoint encourages those who believe they may have trouble paying their bill to call the company now to find out about payment arrangements, energy efficiency programs and agency resources. Resources are available this heating season for qualifying customers. To learn more, customers should call 800-245-2377 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday - Friday, or visit CenterPointEnergy.com/PaymentAssistance.

Smell natural gas? Act fast!
CenterPoint also wants to provide a safety reminder to customers on actions to take if they suspect a natural gas leak. If there's a rotten egg or sulfur odor of natural gas present, immediately leave the area on foot, go to a safe location, and call both 911 and CenterPoint at 800-296-9815. Don't use electric switches/outlets, phones (including cell phones), drive or start a car inside or close to the location or do anything that could cause a spark.

Strategic natural gas procurement plan to keep customers safe and warm
CenterPoint has a strategic natural gas procurement plan that includes purchasing from multiple natural gas suppliers as well as buying and storing a substantial portion of its fuel supply before the winter heating season to work to mitigate costs customers pay. Due to the increased demand during the winter heating season, additional purchases may be required to be made in the daily market to support customer needs for natural gas.

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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 more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of September 30, 2025, the company owned approximately $45 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

CenterPoint Energy Winter Storm Update: Over 99 percent of CenterPoint customers have power across Greater Houston area; Teams actively repairing weather-related damages and restoring power as soon as possible

​Ice and freezing conditions from winter storm are impacting Greater Houstonovernight and this morning; Precipitation expected to clear by mid-to-late morning

Hard freezes around 20 degrees are forecasted Sunday night and Monday night and can impact electric equipment as well

3,300+ workers are fully mobilized and conducting damage assessments and restoring power safely and as quickly as possible.

Less than 2,000 electric customers currently impacted; Approximately 27,000 customers already restored since Saturday 6:00 AM

HOUSTON, Jan. 25, 2026- With the winter storm impacting the Greater Houstonarea overnight and additional waves of winter weather this morning, CenterPoint Energy expanded restoration workforce is actively deployed throughout the area to assess weather-related damages, repair critical electric equipment damaged by the storm, and restore customers' electric service safely and quickly. Winter weather conditions including winds, precipitation, some ice accumulation and freezing temperatures impacted the electric system overnight. As of 6 a.m., approximately 2,000 customers are experiencing weather-related outages which represents less than 1% of the 2.9 million customers that CenterPoint serves across 12 counties. Since Saturday at 6 a.m., approximately 27,000 customers have already been restored.

"Any outage is one too many for us and that's why our expanded team of 3,300 workers remain focused on our customers and communities and restoring anyone who may be out of service due to the winter weather impacts. We would like to thank all of our customers for their patience and support, our local agency partners for all their efforts during these weather impacts, and all the dedicated frontline personnel who are braving extreme conditions to help our communities. We won't stop until everyone's power service is restored," said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint Energy Vice President of Resilience and Capital Delivery.

Safety reminder: Wires down
The company reminds customers and community members to always assume downed lines or wires are energized and potentially dangerous if contacted. Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines or fallen wires and a similar safe distance from objects touching downed lines (tree limbs, vehicles, fences, etc.) and immediately report downed power lines to CenterPoint.

Actions CenterPoint is taking to respond
CenterPoint activated its Emergency Operations Center on January 21, and has been actively preparing for the impacts caused by winter storm, including:

  • Deploying restoration electric workforce: Readying 3,300-person expanded workforce to support winter storm response and address potential equipment damage and outages.
  • Staging more than 700 frontline natural gas workers to respond safely and quickly around the clock to any gas emergency calls and service interruptions;
  • Keeping customers informed: Sharing safety and preparedness information and resources with CenterPoint customers through direct outreach, social media and other channels.
  • Inspecting and testing critical electric equipment, including all 270 electric substations, executing enhanced tree trimming and conducting inspections to prepare for wintery precipitation and cold temperatures;
  • Prepping and pre-staging electric restoration equipment at staging sites, including
    • More than 9,200 distribution poles;
    • More than 11,500 transformers;
    • More than 100,000 cable splices; and
    • More than 1,500 vehicles;
  • Conducting outreach to Critical Care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone or text.
  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to government officials on preparation activities and closely coordinating on customer support.
  • Providing operational updates for media and public: Conducting daily press briefings to provide important updates related to its pre-storm activities and readiness posture; additional briefings may be held to provide operational updates on response and restoration efforts following the storm.

These emergency preparedness actions build on the winter readiness activities that CenterPoint conducted since the fall of 2025, including annual weatherization requirements from the Electric Reliability Council of Texasand Railroad Commission to prepare for winter storms. These actions include:

  • Donated and installed more than 20 emergency backup generators at key locations across Greater Houstonto improve local emergency preparedness and response efforts;
  • Positioning 17 compressed natural gas (CNG) trailers to provide additional supply for our customers, if needed, adding an additional trailer today to help strengthen preparedness;
  • Inspecting nearly 200 natural gas regulator stations and installing heaters on equipment to prevent ice damage; and
  • Conducted more than 19,000 total hours of emergency training in 2025 for hundreds of operational, emergency response and other personnel and contractors to strengthen severe weather preparation and response efforts.

Stay informed with Power Alert Service®
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive winter storm outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email.

Track what's happening in your neighborhood on Outage Tracker
Customers can also stay up to date on outages with CenterPoint's Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish. The Outage Tracker is built to handle increased traffic during storms, is mobile-friendly, accessible for those with disabilities and allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.

Customers can get storm-related electric and natural gas safety tips and the latest information at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

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 more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohioand Texas. As of September 30, 2025, the company owned approximately $45 billionin assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

For more information, contact:
Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

CNP Winter Storm Update: CenterPoint releases more than 500 contract frontline electric workers to support restoration efforts in other hard-hit areas of the country; more than 99 percent of customers maintained power through overnight winter weather

​Download photos and videos of CenterPoint's winter weather response efforts here

Overall system operated as designed with few customer outages, with less than 1% impacted

2,800 workers remain fully mobilized as crews restore impacted customers safely and as quickly as possible

Approximately 1,000 electric customers currently impacted; Less than 30,000 customers already restored since Saturday 6 a.m.

Company maintains readiness ahead of hard freezes overnight tonight and Monday

HOUSTON, Jan. 25, 2026- As of 4 p.m.today, CenterPoint Energy has determined the company has the resources necessary to continue supporting its severe weather response efforts in the Greater Houstonarea. The company has released more than 500 contractors from 9 states to support response efforts in states more heavily impacted by yesterday evening's winter weather system and will continue collaborating on meeting additional needs from other utilities through mutual aid.

CenterPoint Energy continues to actively deploy crews across the Greater Houstonarea to assess damage to electric and natural gas equipment and restore customers impacted by yesterday evening's severe winter weather. Overnight conditions including high winds, wintry precipitation, some ice accumulation and freezing temperatures impacted the electric system. As of 4 p.m., approximately 2,000 customers are experiencing weather-related outages, which represents less than 1% of the 2.9 million customers that CenterPoint serves across 12 counties. Since Saturday at 6 a.m., less than 30,000 customers have already been restored.

"We know how important it is for our customers to have electric service to power their daily lives, especially during cold weather and freezing conditions like we've seen this weekend. Our system continues to perform well, but tonight and tomorrow are forecasted to be hard freezes hovering around 20 degrees, which may impact our equipment in some places. We are currently responding to any outages safely and as quickly as we can, and we will continue to monitor our system diligently as winter weather conditions are exiting our service area. We want to thank our dedicated crews for braving this weather and supporting our community through this event, and we want to thank our customers for their continued patience," said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint VP of Resilience and Capital Delivery.

CenterPoint will conduct its last daily operations briefing for this event today at 4:30 p.m.

Safety reminder: Wires down
The company reminds customers and community members to always assume downed lines or wires are energized and potentially dangerous if contacted. Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines or fallen wires and a similar safe distance from objects touching downed lines (tree limbs, vehicles, fences, etc.) and immediately report downed power lines to CenterPoint.

Actions CenterPoint is taking to respond
CenterPoint activated its Emergency Operations Center on January 21and has been actively preparing for the impacts caused by winter storm, including:

  • Deploying restoration electric workforce: Continuing to deploy its 2,800-person workforce to support winter storm response efforts and address potential equipment damage and outages;
  • Releasing 500 contract crews to support restoration efforts for utilities in hard-hit areas;
  • Staging more than 700 frontline natural gas workers to respond safely and quickly around the clock to any gas emergency calls and service interruptions;
  • Keeping customers informed: Sharing safety and preparedness information and resources with CenterPoint customers through direct outreach, social media and other channels;
  • Inspecting and testing critical electric equipment, including all 270 electric substations, executing enhanced tree trimming and conducting inspections to prepare for wintry precipitation and cold temperatures;
  • Conducting outreach to Critical Care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone or text.
  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to government officials on preparation activities and closely coordinating on customer support.
  • Providing operational updates for media and public: Conducting daily press briefings to provide important updates related to its pre-storm activities and readiness posture; additional briefings may be held to provide operational updates on response and restoration efforts following the storm.

These emergency preparedness actions build on the winter readiness activities that CenterPoint has conducted since the fall of 2025, including annual weatherization requirements from the Electric Reliability Council of Texasand Railroad Commission of Texasto prepare for winter storms. These actions include:

  • Donated and installed more than 20 emergency backup generators at key locations across Greater Houstonto improve local emergency preparedness and response efforts;
  • Positioning 17 compressed natural gas (CNG) trailers to provide additional supply for our customers, if needed, adding an additional trailer today to help strengthen preparedness;
  • Inspecting nearly 200 natural gas regulator stations and installing heaters on equipment to prevent ice damage; and
  • Conducted more than 19,000 total hours of emergency training in 2025 for hundreds of operational, emergency response and other personnel and contractors to strengthen severe weather preparation and response efforts.

Stay informed with Power Alert Service®
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive winter storm outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email.

Track what's happening in your neighborhood on Outage Tracker
Customers can also stay up to date on outages with CenterPoint's Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish. The Outage Tracker is built to handle increased traffic during storms, is mobile-friendly, accessible for those with disabilities and allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.

Customers can get storm-related electric and natural gas safety tips and the latest information at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

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 more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohioand Texas. As of September 30, 2025, the company owned approximately $45 billionin assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

For more information, contact:
Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

Midcontinent Independent System Operator issues conservation alert
​Evansville, Ind. - Jan. 24, 2026 - The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), CenterPoint Energy's Indiana electric grid operator, has declared a conservation alert. Due to colder than normal temperatures and potential shortfalls in electric generation, CenterPoint and other utilities' residential and business customers within the MISO footprint are being asked to reduce their electricity use as much as possible.

"CenterPoint has sufficient energy supply to serve our service territory and customer load," said Shane Bradford, CenterPoint's Vice President, Indiana Electric. "As the grid operator, MISO is experiencing shortages across its multi-state footprint, and we are following their guidance to encourage customers to conserve energy."

Customers can assist by utilizing these tips to conserve energy:
  • Set thermostats a few degrees lower; set programmable thermostats to a lower temperature (health permitting).
  • Avoid using large appliances, such as ovens and washing machines.
  • Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
  • Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
  • Larger, commercial electric customers should consider reducing non-essential production processes.
​
If conditions worsen, MISO may issue a directive to curtail power delivered to customers. This would require member utilities, including CenterPoint, to implement controlled outages. These outages are planned, temporary shutoffs of power to prevent longer or more widespread outages. They are an emergency measure only implemented as a last resort to maintain reliability of the electric system. If ordered, these outages will rotate in intervals across the service territory.

Customers are encouraged to prepare in advance and have a back-up plan in place, especially those who rely on electricity for life-sustaining equipment.
CenterPoint will continue to keep customers informed of any developments. Customers are encouraged to follow the company's communication channels, including the company's state-specific X account (@CenterPoint_IN​), Facebook, Pow​er Alert Service®​ and the web​.

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CenterPoint Energy Inc. published this content on February 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 03, 2026 at 15:08 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]