Delivery utility · Texas
CenterPoint: delivery charges, service area, and outages
CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric owns the poles, wires, and meters that deliver electricity across the Houston–Galveston area. It doesn't sell electricity: you choose a retail provider, and CenterPoint's delivery charges appear on that provider's bill.
Since September 30, 2026, CenterPoint's residential delivery charge is 6.5333¢ per kWh plus $4.90 a month: $70.23 in a 1,000 kWh month, the same with every provider.
Split ZIP or need your ESI ID? Check an exact address
- Delivery per kWhSince September 2026
- 6.5333¢
- Fixed each monthCustomer and metering charges
- $4.90
- Delivery at 1,000 kWhSame with every provider
- $70.23
- Report an outageOr 800-332-7143
- 713-207-2222
Reviewed November 6, 2026. Delivery rates update automatically; sources are listed at the end of the page.
The basics
CenterPoint or your provider: who does what?
Your retail provider is the company you deal with day to day: it sells you the electricity, sets your plan's price, sends the bill, answers account questions, and offers plan features like solar buyback or battery programs. CenterPoint delivers the power and looks after the equipment that carries it, so you call it about outages. Your address determines your delivery utility, so every home in CenterPoint's area has CenterPoint whichever provider it chooses.
| Who handles it | CenterPoint | Your provider |
|---|---|---|
| Takes your request to start, stop, or move service | No | Yes |
| Sells you electricity and sets your plan's price | No | Yes |
| Sends your bill and answers billing and account questions | No | Yes |
| Offers plan features like solar buyback, EV rates, or battery programs | No | Yes |
| Owns the poles, wires, and meter that deliver your power | Yes | No |
| Reads your meter and switches service on or off | Yes | No |
| Restores power after an outage | Yes | No |
| Proposes the delivery charge (the PUCT approves it) | Yes | No |
CenterPoint at a glance
| What it is | Transmission and distribution utility (TDU)Regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas |
|---|---|
| Delivers to | About 2.9 million metered customers2,900,167 at September 30, 2026, growing about 2% a year |
| Service area | About 5,000 square miles in 12 countiesHouston and 165 other communities |
| Lines | About 59,600 miles of distribution linesHalf of them underground, plus 3,925 miles of transmission (December 2025) |
| ESI IDs start with | 100890122 digits, one per service point |
| Ownership | CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP)Wholly owned; the same company sells natural gas in Houston |
CenterPoint's Houston wires began with Houston Lighting & Power, incorporated in 1906, which by the late 1990s was part of Reliant Energy. When Texas opened retail electricity to competition in 2002, Reliant Energy separated its businesses: the delivery utility became CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, and the retail business was spun off as Reliant Resources. That company sold its Texas retail business to NRG Energy in 2009, so today's Reliant has no ownership tie to CenterPoint.
Delivery charges
What does CenterPoint charge?
CenterPoint charges every provider the same regulated rates: 6.5333¢ per kWh plus $4.90 a month for homes, approved by the PUCT. Bills and facts labels often call this the TDU or TDSP delivery charge. Most plans pass it through, so it can change when CenterPoint's tariff does, even on a fixed-rate plan.
Delivery at common usage levels
The usage levels on every Electricity Facts Label, before the provider's energy charge and taxes.
| Monthly usage | Delivery a month | Per kWh, all in |
|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $37.57 | 7.51¢ |
| 1,000 kWh | $70.23 | 7.02¢ |
| 2,000 kWh | $135.57 | 6.78¢ |
CenterPoint delivery at this usage$70.23a month
- Fixed monthly
- $4.90
- 1,000 kWh × 6.5333¢
- $65.33
Before the provider's energy charge and taxes. Your bill shows your usage in kWh.
What's in the 6.5333¢
CenterPoint's delivery charge is several regulated charges added together. Each updates on its own schedule, which is why the total can change several times a year. From CenterPoint's tariff, checked November 6, 2026.
| Customer and metering chargesA $2.11 customer charge and a $2.79 metering charge, the same every month however much you use. | $4.90/mo |
|---|---|
| Transmission · TCRFPasses through what CenterPoint pays to use the high-voltage transmission network across ERCOT. Its base rates include no transmission charge, so all of that cost lands here, nearly half the per-kWh total. Updated each March 1 and September 1; the September factor spreads costs over lower fall and winter usage, and it fell at each of the last two March updates (to 1.6173¢ in 2026). | 3.0812¢/kWh |
| Distribution · Distribution system chargeCenterPoint's base rate for its local lines, substations, and meters, set in its last full rate case (Docket 56211) and in effect since April 28, 2025. | 2.3240¢/kWh |
| Distribution investment since the rate case · DCRFRecovers lines and equipment added since the rate case. Raised September 30, 2026 and made final on November 5 (Docket 59981). | 0.6137¢/kWh |
| Storm restoration bonds · SRC II and IIIRepays bonds that financed restoration after the May 2024 storms, including the derecho (0.0613¢), and after Hurricane Beryl, Hurricane Francine, and Winter Storm Enzo (0.2430¢), net of deferred-tax credits. Adjusted yearly until the bonds are repaid, scheduled for 2039. | 0.3043¢/kWh |
| Energy efficiency programs · EECRFFunds the efficiency programs Texas requires utilities to run. Updated each March. | 0.1576¢/kWh |
| Mobile emergency generators · TEEEFThe lease costs of emergency generators. Cut on August 15, 2026 after 20 leased units, about 500 megawatts, left CenterPoint's rates (Docket 57980); reset yearly through 2030. | 0.0742¢/kWh |
| Other small charges · NDC and RCENuclear decommissioning (0.0013¢) and the cost of the last rate case (0.0048¢), which runs until about April 2028. | 0.0061¢/kWh |
| Transition bond refund · TC5 refund creditReturns $14.92 million left over after CenterPoint's last transition bonds were repaid. CenterPoint has filed to end it on November 13, 2026 (pending). | −0.0278¢/kWh |
How CenterPoint's delivery charge has changed
In a 1,000 kWh month, CenterPoint delivery went from $57.90 in January 2025 to $70.23 today, and from $63.93 a year ago, a 10% rise in twelve months. CenterPoint has attributed its distribution increases to growth of about 50,000 new customers a year, replacing aging equipment, and resiliency work since the 2024 storms. The jump in September 2026 came mostly from transmission costs it passes through from the high-voltage grid, and repaying the 2024 storm bonds adds about $3.04 to a 1,000 kWh month.
| Effective | Per kWh | Per month | At 1,000 kWh | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 6.5333¢ | $4.90 | $70.23 | Distribution cost update |
| Sep 2026 | 6.4130¢ | $4.90 | $69.03 | Transmission cost update |
| Aug 2026 | 4.9811¢ | $4.90 | $54.71 | Mobile generation charge cut |
| Jun 2026 | 5.1461¢ | $4.90 | $56.36 | Distribution cost update |
| May 2026 | 4.9715¢ | $4.90 | $54.62 | Transition bond refund credit begins |
| Mar 2026 | 4.9993¢ | $4.90 | $54.89 | Transmission and efficiency updates |
| Feb 2026 | 6.2439¢ | $4.90 | $67.34 | Hurricane Beryl storm bond charge begins |
| Dec 2025 | 6.0009¢ | $4.90 | $64.91 | Refund credit ends |
| Dec 2025 | 5.9794¢ | $4.90 | $64.69 | Refund credit resumes |
| Dec 2025 | 6.0009¢ | $4.90 | $64.91 | Distribution cost update |
| Oct 2025 | 5.9027¢ | $4.90 | $63.93 | Refund credit pauses |
| Sep 2025 | 5.8812¢ | $4.90 | $63.71 | May 2024 storm bond charge begins |
| Sep 2025 | 5.7889¢ | $4.90 | $62.79 | Transmission cost update |
| Aug 2025 | 4.4393¢ | $4.90 | $49.29 | Rate-case refund credit begins |
| Jul 2025 | 4.4608¢ | $4.90 | $49.51 | Distribution cost update |
| Apr 2025 | 4.2392¢ | $4.90 | $47.29 | New base rates (Docket 56211) |
| Mar 2025 | 4.3380¢ | $4.39 | $47.77 | Transmission and efficiency updates |
| Feb 2025 | 5.3739¢ | $4.39 | $58.13 | Hurricane Ike refund credit ends |
| Jan 2025 | 5.3509¢ | $4.39 | $57.90 | Rate in effect in January 2025 |
What could change next
November 2026
A refund credit ends
CenterPoint has asked to end its transition bond refund credit on November 13, 2026 (Docket 60469). That adds 0.0278¢ per kWh, about 28¢ in a 1,000 kWh month. The PUCT hasn't ruled yet.
March 2027
Transmission and efficiency updates
The transmission charge resets each March 1; it fell at each of the last two March updates, but the 2027 amount isn't filed yet. CenterPoint has proposed cutting the efficiency charge from 0.1576¢ to 0.1350¢ (Docket 59826, pending), and the Beryl storm bond charge gets its first yearly adjustment.
2026–2028
The resiliency plan's costs
The PUCT approved CenterPoint's 2026–2028 resiliency plan in November 2025: about $2.68 billion of capital work such as stronger poles, undergrounding, and automation, plus about $185 million of operating costs such as vegetation management. At settlement, CenterPoint estimated it would add about $1.40 a month for an average home in each of those years, through later rate updates.
Through 2039
Storm bond charges continue
The charges repaying the 2024 storm bonds, about $1.6 billion in all, adjust each year and end when the bonds are repaid. The last are scheduled to be repaid in December 2039.
Plans
What plans cost at CenterPoint addresses
Every plan for a CenterPoint address includes the same delivery charge, so plans differ in the energy price, fees, contract terms, and features such as solar buyback or EV charging.
The three standard plans listed for CenterPoint addresses cost 14.2¢–15.2¢ per kWh at 1,000 kWh a month, about $142–$152 with delivery included. $70.23 of each of those bills is CenterPoint's delivery charge, 46–49% of the total; the rest is the plan's energy charge (7.12¢ to 7.55¢ per kWh) and any base charge.
Prices as of November 10, 2026, before taxes.
Light is the retail electricity provider that powers the plans on this site. Light and CenterPoint are separate companies, and CenterPoint delivers to every home in its area whichever provider the home chooses.
Compare plans for your address
Prices at your usage, with each plan's term, fees, and facts label.
Or start from a city
Service area
Where does CenterPoint deliver electricity?
CenterPoint delivers to nearly all of the Houston–Galveston area: about 5,000 square miles in 12 counties, covering Houston and 165 other communities. They include Katy, Sugar Land, Pasadena, Baytown, Pearland, Missouri City, Humble, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, Galveston, and Lake Jackson. In Alvin, Dickinson, Friendswood, La Marque, League City, Texas City, and West Columbia, CenterPoint serves only a minority of customers; the rest are mostly on TNMP, another delivery utility with retail choice. Utilities are assigned by street address, so the address check below gives the answer for a specific home.
Is this address served by CenterPoint?
Enter a street address to see its delivery utility and ESI ID.
Search the service address
Start typing the address where electricity is delivered and choose its registered match. Include the apartment or unit number when there is one.
Results come from utility service records. Confirm the ESI ID with your provider or utility before using it to start service.
Several meters at one address, or an apartment? Use the full ESI ID lookup.
CenterPoint is the main delivery utility in 198 ZIP codes, and shares 11 more with another utility. The map places each ZIP at its center, so edges are approximate.
Cities CenterPoint serves
Nearby areas CenterPoint doesn't serve
Some addresses in and around CenterPoint's area are served by a utility that sells and delivers the power itself, such as a city-owned utility or an electric cooperative. There's no retail plan to choose there: you start service with that utility directly.
Utility without retail choice
Serves the northeastern part of the greater Houston area on a different grid (MISO, not ERCOT), so there's no plan to choose there.
Electric cooperative
San Bernard Electric Cooperative
Serves about 34,000 meters in eight counties west and northwest of Houston, including parts of Harris, Waller, Montgomery, and Austin counties.
City-owned utilities
City utilities in Bellville, Hempstead, and Liberty
Among the city-owned electric utilities the PUCT counts in the greater Houston area.
Starting service at a CenterPoint address
Choose a plan, and the provider sends the start request to CenterPoint for you.
Outages
Who to call when the power goes out
Report outages to CenterPoint, not your provider: CenterPoint runs the lines and restores power. Call 713-207-2222 or 800-332-7143, report online through CenterPoint's outage center, and follow restoration on its outage tracker. Power Alert Service sends outage updates by text, email, or phone; alerts are tied to the meter, so sign up again after you move.
| If | Contact |
|---|---|
| A power line is down | Stay at least 35 feet away. Call CenterPoint at 713-207-2222, or 911 if anyone is in danger. |
| A streetlight is out | CenterPoint's online streetlight form, with the 6-character ID on the pole |
| Tree limbs are touching power lines | Your provider, or CenterPoint at 713-207-2222 |
| Your natural gas bill or gas service | CenterPoint gas: 713-659-2111 (a separate line from electric) |
| Your electricity bill, payment, plan, or price | Your electricity provider |
| Starting, stopping, or moving electricity | Your electricity provider, which sends the request to CenterPoint |
Major outages and what changed
May 2024
The Houston derecho
Straight-line winds knocked out power to about 920,000 CenterPoint customers at the peak on May 16. Restoration was essentially complete by May 23, according to the PUCT.
July 2024
Hurricane Beryl
After landfall on July 8, outages peaked at more than 2.26 million of CenterPoint's 2.8 million customers. CenterPoint's outage tracker had collapsed under traffic in the derecho and hadn't been fully replaced when Beryl hit; the governor ordered a PUCT investigation, which made 14 recommendations that November.
2024–2025
Storm hardening and a new outage tracker
CenterPoint moved to a cloud-based outage tracker, which PUCT rules now require in English and Spanish. By late August 2024 it had installed more than 1,000 stronger poles and 300 automation devices and cleared vegetation along more than 2,000 miles of lines, with more before the 2025 hurricane season. It reported nearly 50% fewer outage minutes in the first half of 2025 than a year earlier.
November 2025
A three-year resiliency plan
The PUCT approved about $2.68 billion of resiliency capital work for 2026 through 2028, plus operating costs such as vegetation management. Restoration costs from the 2024 storms are repaid through bonds that appear in the delivery charge.
Meters and solar
Your meter, usage data, and solar
CenterPoint installs and reads the smart meter at your home. It records usage every 15 minutes, and you can see that data on Smart Meter Texas, which helps when you compare plans at your real usage.
CenterPoint: frequently asked questions
Is CenterPoint my electricity provider?
Not for electricity. CenterPoint delivers it across the Houston area and maintains the poles, wires, and meters, but it doesn't sell electricity to homes. You buy electricity from a retail electricity provider, which sends the bill and includes CenterPoint's delivery charges. CenterPoint does sell natural gas in the Houston area, so many homes get a gas bill from CenterPoint and an electricity bill from their provider.
Why do I get a bill from CenterPoint?
Usually it's for natural gas. CenterPoint is also the main gas utility for most of the Houston area and bills gas customers directly; questions about it go to CenterPoint's gas line at 713-659-2111. Your electricity bill comes from your retail provider, with CenterPoint's delivery charge included in it.
Is CenterPoint the same company as Reliant?
No. Both trace back to Reliant Energy, which split its businesses in 2002 when Texas opened retail competition: the Houston delivery utility became CenterPoint, and the retail business was spun off. That retail business, which sells as Reliant, has been owned by NRG Energy since 2009. Reliant is now one of many providers selling plans at CenterPoint addresses, and CenterPoint delivers the power whichever one a home chooses.
Why did CenterPoint's delivery charge go up in September 2026?
Mostly transmission. On September 1, 2026, the charge that passes through CenterPoint's costs for the high-voltage grid rose from 1.6173¢ to 3.0812¢ per kWh (Docket 59825), about $14.64 more in a 1,000 kWh month. On September 30, a distribution investment update added about $1.20 more (Docket 59981). With smaller changes, delivery at 1,000 kWh went from $54.71 after an August 15 cut to $70.23.
Why does my delivery charge include a storm charge?
Part of CenterPoint's delivery charge repays bonds that financed power restoration after the May 2024 storms, including the derecho, and after Hurricane Beryl, Hurricane Francine, and Winter Storm Enzo: about $1.6 billion in all. Net of deferred-tax credits, the bond charges add 0.3043¢ per kWh, about $3.04 in a 1,000 kWh month, whichever provider you use. They adjust each year and end when the bonds are repaid, scheduled for 2039.
Will switching providers get my power back faster after a storm?
No. CenterPoint restores power across its area, and your provider has no part in it: every home on CenterPoint's lines gets the same restoration, whichever provider sends the bill. Providers differ in the energy price, fees, contract terms, and features of their plans.
What does a CenterPoint ESI ID look like?
An ESI ID is the number that identifies the electric service point at your address. CenterPoint's are 22 digits long and start with 1008901, while Oncor's are 17 digits, so the length alone tells the two apart. You'll find yours on a recent electricity bill, and a provider can look it up from your address when you sign up.
How do I start electricity at a CenterPoint address?
Choose a plan from a retail provider and give it your service address and move-in date. The provider sends the start request to CenterPoint through ERCOT, so you don't need to contact CenterPoint yourself. CenterPoint's tariff has it connect service at an existing meter on the requested day when the order reaches it by 7 p.m. Central on any day except Sundays and holidays. A home that needs a new meter needs the order at least two business days ahead. Providers set their own order cutoffs and fees.
Setting up electricity in HoustonHow do I get outage alerts from CenterPoint?
Sign up for CenterPoint's free Power Alert Service with your meter number, then reply to the confirmation text. It sends outage and restoration updates by text, email, or phone to up to 15 contacts. Alerts are tied to the meter, so after a move, sign up again at the new home.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
Today's delivery rates update automatically, usually soon after CenterPoint's approved charges change. The history, breakdown, and facts come from CenterPoint's tariff, regulatory filings, and CenterPoint's own reports, linked here so you can check them. If something looks out of date, email support@poweredbylight.com.
- PUCT rate report for CenterPoint (as of November 1, 2026)
- PUCT residential delivery rates for Texas delivery utilities
- CenterPoint Houston Electric rates (itemized riders)
- CenterPoint Houston Electric Tariff for Retail Delivery Service
- CenterPoint historical tariffs
- PUCT order in CenterPoint's rate case (Docket 56211)
- CenterPoint transmission cost update, September 2026 (Docket 59825)
- PUCT order on CenterPoint's distribution cost factor (Docket 59981)
- PUCT order on CenterPoint's mobile generation costs (Docket 57980)
- CenterPoint storm bonds for the May 2024 storms (Docket 57559)
- CenterPoint storm bonds for Hurricane Beryl, Francine, and Winter Storm Enzo (Docket 58252)
- CenterPoint filing to end the transition bond refund (Docket 60469)
- CenterPoint 2027 energy efficiency filing, revised (Docket 59826)
- PUCT order on CenterPoint's 2026–2028 resiliency plan (Docket 57579)
- CenterPoint: resiliency plan settlement
- CenterPoint third-quarter 2026 report (Form 10-Q)
- CenterPoint 2025 annual report (Form 10-K)
- CenterPoint second-quarter 2024 report (Form 10-Q)
- CenterPoint: Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, first phase (2024)
- CenterPoint second-quarter 2025 results
- PUCT investigation of Houston-area utilities' storm preparedness and response (Project 56822)
- PUCT rule requiring online outage trackers in English and Spanish
- CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric 2002 annual report (Form 10-K)
- RRI Energy: sale of Reliant's Texas retail business to NRG (2009)
- CenterPoint contact page
- CenterPoint outage Action Center
- CenterPoint Power Alert Service
- CenterPoint streetlight outage reporting
- CenterPoint ESI ID format
- ERCOT Retail 101 (ESI ID utility codes)
- San Bernard Electric Cooperative
- Entergy Texas
Related guides
All guides- TDU delivery charges explainedWhat TDU delivery charges cover, who sets them, and why they stay the same across providers.
- How to switch electricity providersHow to change electricity providers without interrupting service, plus what to check before you switch.
- New to Texas? Start here for electricityA first-timer's guide to providers, choosing a plan without past bills, and getting electricity ready for move-in day.
- How to read an Electricity Facts LabelA plain-English walkthrough of every line on the EFL.
- How to use Smart Meter TexasHow to create an account, download meter data, and understand monthly, daily, and 15-minute electricity usage.
- How to choose an electricity planStart with your home's usage, equipment, and goals, then compare prices at that usage and choose by fit among fairly priced plans.