CenterPoint Energy: Houston Storm Response and Power Restoration Update

Winter Storm Impact and Preparedness

• ❄️ Houston experienced its coldest temperatures so far, with a hard freeze expected at 20°F and outlying areas in the high teens.
• ⚠️ A reminder was issued to check on people, pets, plants, and pipes due to the extreme cold.
• 🌧️ The storm brought more rain (2-4 inches) than anticipated ice or freezing rain, which was beneficial for wildfire season after a period of drought.
• 💨 Winds during the day helped dry out roads, presenting another positive aspect of the weather.

Power Outage Statistics and Restoration Efforts

• ⚡ CenterPoint Energy reported that 99% of its customers did not experience a power outage during the winter storm.
• 📉 Approximately 30,000 customers experienced outages over the past day, with about 1,000 customers still without power at the time of the update.
• ⏳ Crews are working diligently to restore power, with a focus on getting the remaining customers back online, even working through the night and into the next day.
• ⏱️ The average restoration time for customers over the last two days has been about one hour.

Operational Updates and Collaboration

• 🛠️ CenterPoint Energy has invested in its systems, leading to a successful restoration effort that performed as planned.
• 🤝 The company expressed gratitude for the collaboration with community partners, including mayors and OEMs, and for the patience of customers.
• 👷 Over 2,700 crews are actively working on the system, with many coming from out of state to assist.
• ♨️ For natural gas operations, nearly 700 employees supported the system, ensuring safe and reliable delivery, with only one of 17 compressed natural gas trailers being actively dispatched.

Customer Communication and Support

• 📞 CenterPoint completed over six million customer communications via email, phone, SMS, and text to ensure customers were informed about the weather and prepared for potential outages.
• 🏥 Special focus was placed on 4,200 communications to critical and chronic care customers who rely on power for medical equipment.
• 🎧 Contact center staff was more than doubled, maintaining an average speed of answer of less than two minutes for customer calls.
• 💻 The outage tracker and Power Alert service have been leveraged to provide real-time updates, including estimated restoration times, and to notify customers when power has been restored.

CenterPoint's Role and Market Position

• 🔌 CenterPoint Energy operates as the poles and wires provider, transporting electricity but not generating power or sending customer bills.
• 🚫 The US Department of Energy's emergency order has no immediate impact on CenterPoint's operations at this time.
• 🌟 The company is appreciative of its frontline workers and external support, emphasizing teamwork and customer focus.