Tag Archives: CenterPoint

CenterPoint finds a use for those useless-to-us generators

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio, here they come. A plan is in the works to partially relieve Houston-area ratepayers of CenterPoint Energy’s $800 million lease of controversial generators that have sat mostly unused during power outages. The bulk of the lease includes 15 large generators, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sandie Haverlah of the Texas Consumer Association

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

You might have noticed that CenterPoint has been in the news a lot lately. There’s the various audits of its performance during Beryl and the derecho, proposed legislation to make it refund the money it spent (and charged to customers) … Continue reading →

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On landfills and methane

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

To the extent that we can, we should capture methane gas from landfills and use it for energy. Around 20 miles north of downtown Houston, seated between Interstate 69 and the Sam Houston Tollway, acres of pipeline weave through piles … Continue reading →

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PUC releases its initial CenterPoint report

Posted on November 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Some reasonable recommendations in there. The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday made public the results of its investigation into the performance of CenterPoint Energy and other Houston-area electric utilities during Hurricane Beryl and the May derecho, offering up … Continue reading →

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PUC to audit CenterPoint

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this last week. The Public Utility Commission of Texas took a step toward an audit of CenterPoint Energy, fulfilling Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s directive issued in the wake of widespread criticism of the Houston-area electric utility’s handling of Hurricane … Continue reading →

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Two CenterPoint updates

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see about this. State Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, filed legislation Tuesday that would create a process to refund Houstonians for charges associated with CenterPoint Energy’s $800 million lease of generators that went largely unused after Hurricane Beryl. King’s North Texas district … Continue reading →

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Complaint filed over CenterPoint’s unused generators

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll admit, I didn’t even know there was a complaint process for this. The Texas Consumer Association filed a complaint Wednesday asking the state utility regulator to deny CenterPoint Energy the ability to continue to pass on the costs of … Continue reading →

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Everything you wanted to know about trees in Houston but were afraid to ask

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A good overview. In the weeks following the storm, Houstonians had to dodge fallen trees, branches, debris and more across the region. In fact, Hurricane Beryl potentially impacted about 50 percent of urbanized-area trees, according to the Texas A&M Forest … Continue reading →

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We’re stuck with CenterPoint’s useless generators

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

So what can we do about them? CenterPoint Energy executives said Thursday the company cannot terminate its lease for barely used generators that have already cost the utility $800 million, shocking regulators who are now turning on the investment after … Continue reading →

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Paxton to investigate CenterPoint

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday his office will investigate CenterPoint’s conduct during Hurricane Beryl, which wiped out power to millions of the utility’s Houston-area customers last month. “My office is aware of concerning allegations regarding CenterPoint … Continue reading →

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A checklist for CenterPoint

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said on multiple occasions as various officeholders have (correctly and justifiably) dumped on CenterPoint that they owe us a list of actual things they intend to do about them. This op-ed by Sandra Haverleh of the Texas Consumer Association … Continue reading →

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The House gets its turn to yell at CenterPoint

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

They mostly focused on tree maintenance, which seems reasonable enough. House lawmakers on Wednesday questioned CenterPoint Energy’s tree maintenance ahead of Hurricane Beryl, in which tens of thousands of trees knocked out power lines, shutting off electricity to 2.3 million … Continue reading →

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Who’s going to pay for derecho damage?

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Well, CenterPoint would like for that to be us. CenterPoint Energy expects to incur as much as $1.8 billion in costs from its efforts to restore power after May’s severe storms and July’s Hurricane Beryl, company executives said during a … Continue reading →

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So about those generators CenterPoint bought…

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m fine with all of this, but it shouldn’t be the endpoint of the conversation. It’s not even the main point. A state lawmaker said Monday he was considering pushing legislation to recoup some of the $800 million CenterPoint Energy … Continue reading →

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On rooftop solar

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There are a couple of things to consider as you read this. Texas ranks third in the country in electricity generation from small-scale solar, including rooftop solar, trailing California and Arizona, according to the Energy Information Administration. (The federal office … Continue reading →

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CenterPoint gets its first grilling

Posted on July 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure there will be more of this to come. But we need action, not just talk. Texas utility regulators grilled CenterPoint Energy executives Thursday over their performance in the days following Hurricane Beryl, when millions of Houston-area residents lost … Continue reading →

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Class action lawsuit #3 filed against CenterPoint

Posted on July 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Once, twice, three times a Beryl-related class action lawsuit related to CenterPoint’s failure to get the power back in a timely fashion. A firm representing 19 medical professionals and other business owners in Harris County filed a class action claim … Continue reading →

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Could Montgomery County replace CenterPoint?

Posted on July 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see. I’m very skeptical, but I consider this to be an interesting test case of the proposition that CenterPoint’s service area could be reduced. After Beryl wiped out power in the [Creekside Park] neighborhood and the county, officials within … Continue reading →

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Another Tuesday Beryl roundup

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Hurricane Beryl killed at least 22 people in the Houston area. More than half were heat-related deaths. Hurricane Beryl claimed at least 22 lives in the Houston area. Recent additions to the list include 11 people who died from hyperthermia, … Continue reading →

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No more “CenterPointLe$$”

Posted on July 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll always have the memes. Drivers passing by the I-10 West freeway will no longer see the “CenterPointLe$$” graffiti tag. Friday morning, city workers removed the words aimed at the utility company’s response to Beryl — a hurricane that left … Continue reading →

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Another class action lawsuit filed against CenterPoint

Posted on July 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

You’re involved in this one. Michael Fertitta, son of Rockets owner and Landry’s Inc. CEO Tilman Fertitta, is one of three lawyers representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit against CenterPoint Energy in the wake of Hurricane Beryl. The lawsuit, which was … Continue reading →

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Another Friday Beryl roundup

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Still lots to keep up on, so let’s get to it. CenterPoint spent $800M on mobile generators. Where are they post-Hurricane Beryl? Over the last three years, CenterPoint Energy – the company in charge of delivering power to millions of … Continue reading →

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Buzbee draws a crowd of plaintiffs

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, lots of people would like to sue CenterPoint. Can’t really say I’m surprised. It took a week after Hurricane Beryl swept through Houston for CenterPoint to fully restore the power at Mechelle Tran’s Gulf Coast-inspired resaurant Riel. She and … Continue reading →

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Buzbee to file class action lawsuit against CenterPoint

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Give the man credit, he knows how to take initiative. The Buzbee Law Firm, representing a cohort of Houston restaurants, is filing a class action lawsuit against CenterPoint Energy. Attorney Tony Buzzbee released a statement on social media, stating the … Continue reading →

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PUC launches its CenterPoint investigation

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. The Public Utility Commission on Monday launched an investigation into CenterPoint’s response to widespread power outages that continue one week after Hurricane Beryl swept through the region, Chairman Thomas Gleeson said. The commission’s staff will recommend changes CenterPoint can … Continue reading →

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The last 250K

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

One full week after Beryl, a lot of people still don’t have power. CenterPoint Energy has restored power to over 2 million customers as of Monday morning, leaving about 250,000 residents without electricity a week after Hurricane Beryl swept through … Continue reading →

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Oh, look, Greg Abbott’s back

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday slammed utility CenterPoint Energy, which has yet to restore power for hundreds of thousands of customers in the Houston area, and ordered the company to take steps to improve power reliability. In his first … Continue reading →

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Saturday Beryl roundup

Posted on July 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We need better outage data. Meanwhile, the system that once fed CenterPoint’s map – which has quietly continued to report data under the hood of the utility’s website – became overwhelmed almost immediately after Beryl reached the greater Houston area. … Continue reading →

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Other Beryl stuff

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A mini-roundup, with mostly non-CenterPoint things. How’s your Internet service? An Xfinity spokesperson said Wednesday that service was restored to approximately 355,000 customers — or about 36% of those experiencing service outages — in the 36 hours after Hurricane Beryl … Continue reading →

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CenterPoint’s uninspired performance

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

So what happened here? CenterPoint Energy faced an early round of scrutiny Tuesday about whether it adequately prepared for Hurricane Beryl, as more than 1 million Houston-area customers prepared to sweat through multiple days without power. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan … Continue reading →

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The power situation

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Rough times for CenterPoint. Hurricane Beryl “more heavily impacted” Houston’s electric infrastructure than originally anticipated, the area’s primary electricity provider said Monday in an afternoon press release. The Cat 1 hurricane led to widespread outages affecting more than 2.26 million … Continue reading →

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Tuesday Beryl checkin

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got no power but I do have Internet, so here’s a brief Beryl overview for you. We’re all fine and we do have some battery power to charge devices and keep the fridge and freezer cold, but expect things … Continue reading →

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More on the senior living situation

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to seeing what the city does about this. Reyes and his neighbors at Independence Hall are among thousands of low-income and disabled seniors in Houston left to rely on their landlords for an organized response to last … Continue reading →

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Power by Wednesday?

Posted on May 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As of 5 PM Saturday, CenterPoint said that 447K customers were still without power, which is about half of the original total from Thursday night. The hope is that 90% of all customers will have power by Wednesday. Which, given … Continue reading →

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