HOUSTON – On Wednesday, the Houston City Council will vote to approve or deny a new CenterPoint Energy rate increase.
Even if the city votes against it, the state Public Utility Commission is the ultimate authority to decide if CenterPoint can raise the rates we all pay on our electric bills.
Texas PUC meeting dated 11-14-2024 (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
But it feels a bit like whack-a-mole trying to keep track of all the increases CenterPoint is applying to electric bills. As soon as regulators are successful in getting the company to lower the amount it wants to raise rates, CenterPoint is back with a new request for something else.
RELATED: Does CenterPoint have to pay if a power surge damages your appliances?
We checked the records and discovered six rate increases requests in 2025 to date
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$3.2 billion for system resiliency. This will cost the average customer an extra $1.40 a month from 2026 through 2028.
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In April, the PUC approved an increase of $122 million. That adds $2.22 to every customer’s monthly bill.
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Derecho storm recovery costs mean everyone pays an extra $1 a month for the next 15 years to reimburse CenterPoint $425 million.
- September 1: Rates increased by about $13 a month for the average residential customer.
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Now: CenterPoint wants another $55 million for “investments that are necessary to maintain a safe and reliable distribution system that requires ongoing investments to serve new customers and replace aging infrastructure.” If approved, it will cost about another $1 a month.
Compare those six increases in 2025 to just two in 2022 and three in 2023. So what changed?
House Speaker Dade Phelan listens to state Representatives on the House floor during Sine Die, the last day of the 88th Texas Legislative Session, at the Capitol in Austin on May 29, 2023. (Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune)
In 2023, state legislators voted to allow electric delivery companies like CenterPoint to increase rates more than once a year without waiting for a full rate study. In the past, companies might have had to absorb the costs of improvements and expenses while regulators studied and approved an increase.
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This new system is great for CenterPoint, which gets the money faster. It’s not so great for customers and cities that want time to study whether the rate increases are justified.
2 Investigates Amy Davis will be at the Houston City Council meeting on Wednesday, and will keep you updated.
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Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.