CenterPoint Outage Map: Houston Power Status Guide

CenterPoint's outage tracker displays real-time power outages across the Greater Houston area and Southeast Texas. The interactive map shows outage locations, customer counts, and estimated restoration times.

Map features:
- Zoom to your neighborhood for block-level detail
- Color-coded severity (yellow to red based on customers affected)
- Outage cause when identified (storm, equipment, animal, vehicle)
- Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR)
- Total customers affected region-wide

CenterPoint Energy serves 2.6 million metered customers across the Houston metropolitan area—the fourth-largest city in the United States. Like Oncor in Dallas, CenterPoint is a TDU. They own the wires and fix outages. Your REP handles billing.

Report outages to CenterPoint, not your electricity provider. Your REP (Reliant, TXU, etc.) cannot send repair crews.

Report through:
1. Online: CenterPoint outage tracker
2. Phone: 1-800-752-8036 (24/7)
3. Text: Text OUT to 274526 from your registered number
4. App: CenterPoint Energy mobile app (iOS and Android)

Safety first:
- Downed lines: Call 911 immediately, then CenterPoint
- Sparking equipment: Stay 35 feet away minimum
- Flooded areas with power lines: Do not enter—electrocution risk

During Hurricane Beryl in 2024, CenterPoint received over 2 million outage reports in 48 hours. The text and app channels handled volume better than phone lines. Register your mobile number in advance.

CenterPoint follows a standard restoration priority that determines when your power returns.

Restoration order:
1. Critical facilities: Hospitals, water treatment, 911 centers
2. Transmission lines: High-voltage lines serving 50,000+ customers
3. Distribution feeders: Lines serving neighborhoods (5,000-10,000 customers)
4. Tap lines: Lines serving blocks (100-500 customers)
5. Individual service drops: Single homes

Typical timelines:
- Equipment failure: 1-4 hours
- Thunderstorm: 4-12 hours
- Tropical storm: 1-3 days
- Major hurricane: 5-14 days

CenterPoint stages mutual aid crews from other states before major storms. After Hurricane Beryl, over 12,000 line workers deployed across the Houston area. ETR updates every few hours as damage assessment continues.

CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric covers the entire Greater Houston metropolitan area and parts of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Major cities served:
- Houston, Pasadena, Pearland, Sugar Land
- Baytown, Missouri City, The Woodlands
- League City, Galveston, Conroe, Katy, Cypress

CenterPoint delivery charges:
- Monthly base fee: $4.90
- Per-kWh delivery: ~6.0¢/kWh
- These charges are the same regardless of your REP

CenterPoint's territory accounts for roughly 25% of the Texas deregulated market. If you live in Harris County or surrounding counties, CenterPoint is almost certainly your TDU.

Not sure? Enter your ZIP code at ElectricRates.org to identify your TDU and compare available electricity plans in your area.

Houston sits in the path of Gulf hurricanes. Power outages lasting days or weeks are a real possibility every June through November.

Before hurricane season:
- Download the CenterPoint Energy app and register for alerts
- Store CenterPoint's number: 1-800-752-8036
- Invest in a portable generator (never run indoors)
- Fill prescriptions and charge medical devices
- Freeze water bottles as backup cooling and to keep food cold

During a hurricane:
- Do not run generators inside—carbon monoxide kills
- Unplug electronics to avoid surge damage when power returns
- Report outages once conditions are safe (do not go outside during the storm)
- Check the outage map from your phone using cellular data

After the storm: Do not touch any downed wires. Report them immediately. Wait for CenterPoint to confirm your line is safe before resetting your main breaker.

After widespread criticism following Hurricane Beryl (July 2024), CenterPoint committed to major infrastructure upgrades under PUCT oversight.

Planned improvements:
- Vegetation management: Accelerated tree trimming near power lines
- Pole hardening: Replacing wooden poles with steel/concrete in high-risk areas
- Undergrounding: Burying select distribution lines in flood-prone zones
- Communication upgrades: Better real-time outage tracking and ETR accuracy

PUCT requirements post-Beryl:
- Mandatory storm preparation plans filed annually
- Improved ETR communication within 24 hours of major events
- Public reporting of restoration metrics

These upgrades take years but should reduce outage duration during future storms. CenterPoint's delivery rates may increase as capital costs get passed to customers through PUCT-approved rate cases.