Customer Information - About CenterPoint Energy Service (2024)

Ohio service information

Service or bill inquiries

Should you have a question about a billing matter, please call us at 800-227-1376, and we will work with you to resolve the issue. If your questions are not resolved after you have called CenterPoint Energy, you may contact the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) for assistance at 800-686-7826 (toll free) or http://www.puco.ohio.gov. Hearing or speech impaired customers may contact the PUCO via 7-1-1 (Ohio Relay Service.) The Ohio Consumer's Counsel (OCC) represents residential utility customers in matters before the PUCO. The OCC can be contacted at 1-877-742-5622 (toll free) or at http://www.pickocc.org.

Customer rights & responsibilities

Service

Disconnection of service

Please arrange for service disconnection at least three business days in advance if you plan to move or need to disconnect your service for any reason. CenterPoint Energy may disconnect your service without advance notice:

• If danger to life or property exists
• For the tampering or fraudulent use of utility service
• For emergency repairs
• For the violation of any rule or regulation

CenterPoint Energy may disconnect service to a residential customer for nonpayment after providing 14 days advance notice. During the winter months, Nov. 1 through April 15, an additional 10-day notice is required.

Reconnection of service

If your gas service has been disconnected for non-payment, you must complete the following steps before your service can be restored:

• Pay the full amount of any past due utility bills
• Pay any required deposit
• Pay any required reconnection charge

If service has been disconnected 10 days or less, payment is received and CenterPoint Energy is notified before 12:30 p.m., service will be restored the same day. If service has been disconnected 10 days or less, payment is received and CenterPoint Energy is notified after 12:30 p.m., service will be restored the following business day. If service has been disconnected more than 10 days and payment is received, service will be restored within three business days.

Deposits

A deposit or other guarantor of credit may be required to establish gas service if the applicant has not satisfactorily established financial responsibility, or if an applicant has been disconnected for non-payment of a previous CenterPoint Energy bill.

If a deposit is necessary, the deposit amount for Ohio customers is 130% of the average monthly bill. Service will be connected when we receive the deposit payment. When a deposit is required due to a disconnection for non-payment, you must: pay the full amount of any past due utility bills, pay the required deposits and pay the reconnection charge. A reconnection charge of $60 will be required prior to reconnection of your gas service.

Deposits held for more than six months will earn interest at a rate set by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). If you are a residential customer, CenterPoint Energy will apply your deposit and any interest due to your account when you pay your bill on time for twelve consecutive months and if you make no late payments in any two consecutive months.

Your deposit (if not previously refunded), plus interest, will be applied to your final bill when you request to have your gas service turned off or if we must disconnect your service for non-payment. Any remaining deposit amount will be refunded.

Meters

CenterPoint Energy's gas meters are thoroughly tested, inspected and adjusted for accuracy before we install them. A portion of meters currently in service are tested annually. Contact CenterPoint Energy for additional information about meter testing.

Make sure your meter is visible at all times and accessible for CenterPoint Energy meter readers, service technicians, and emergency responders. Be sure to keep clear access to your meter dials so that an accurate reading may be obtained.

• Keep the areas around your meters free and clear of clutter.
• Trim bushes and shrubs around meters to provide access.
• Keep dogs secured away from our meters and service areas.
• Provide access to meter by ensuring gate is unlocked.
• Remember: Your usage will be estimated if your meter is unreadable or inaccessible.

Assistance

ODSA programs

The Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) offers several programs to help low-income customers pay their utility bills and improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Customers may apply for the following programs offered through ODSA:

• Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP) is a federally funded program designed to reduce the energy consumption measures in eligible homes at no cost to residents.
• Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that provides financial assistance to eligible consumers with their winter heating bills. The qualification guidelines are listed below. For households with more than eight members, add $7,280 for each individual additional household member.

HEAP qualification guidelines

To apply for any of the above-mentioned programs, please contact the ODSA at http://energyhelp.ohio.gov or 800-282-0880. Hearing or speech impaired customers may contact the ODSA via 7-1-1 (Ohio Relay Service). You may also contact your local Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services for additional assistance. CenterPoint Energy can mail an application to you upon request. If you meet the income guidelines above, you may qualify for telephone assistance. Please contact your local telephone company for details.

Special payment arrangements

Special payment arrangements are provided if you or other household members' health could be adversely affected should gas service be terminated. Arrangements of this kind require proper certification by a licensed physician or board of health physician. Please call 800-227-1376 for more information.

Special winter plans

During the winter heating season, CenterPoint Energy offers a one-third plan for any bills that include usage from November 1 to April 15. The one-third plan requires payment of one-third of the balance due each month (past due amount plus current bill). From October 17, 2016 through April 14, 2017, you may use the Winter Reconnect Order to maintain or reconnect your service for a maximum payment of $175. Please call CenterPoint Energy at 800-227-1376 to protect your utility service once you have paid $175. PIPP Plus customers must pay any PIPP Plus default over $175 before being enrolled in PIPP Plus. You must also apply for available energy assistance programs and/or make a payment arrangement with CenterPoint Energy for any remaining balances. If you are eligible, you may receive assistance through the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (EHEAP) or other energy assistance programs. EHEAP provides financial assistance once per heating season to eligible households that are disconnected, seeking disconnection avoidance or to connect. Contact your local Community Action Program for an appointment.

PIPP Plus

PIPP Plus is available if your total income is at or below 150% of the Federal poverty level. PIPP Plus requires you to pay a percentage of your total monthly household income to your regulated utility companies. This program does not reduce or waive energy costs; it only establishes a payment plan to allow you to maintain your utility service. PIPP Plus offers a payment incentive. Each time you pay your PIPP Plus installment on time and in full, a portion of your old debt and the rest of that month's bill will go away in the form of credits on your utility account. The qualification guidelines are listed below. For households with more than six members, add $6,240 for each individual additional household member.

PIPP Plus qualification guidelines

The One-Sixth-Payment Plan allows you to pay one-sixth of your past due balance plus your current bill each month. The One-Ninth-Payment Plan allows you to pay nine equal monthly payments on the past due balance in addition to a budget payment plan for the projected bills, which will end nine months from the initial payment.

Gas choice programs

CenterPoint Energy offers a natural gas Choice program that allows customers to choose the supplier of their natural gas commodity. If desired, you have the option to choose an alternate supplier of natural gas; however, the delivery of the gas (distribution and maintenance) will still be the responsibility of CenterPoint Energy. To learn more about CenterPoint Energy's Choice program, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Choice or contact CenterPoint Energy at 800-227-1376. Or you may call the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), toll free at 800-686-7826 from eight a.m. to five p.m. weekdays, or visit http://www.puco.ohio.gov. Hearing or speech impaired customers may contact the PUCO via 7-1-1 (Ohio Relay Service). If you believe you have been the victim of "slamming" and have been switched to or from your natural gas supplier or government aggregator without your authorization, you will not be liable for any fees associated with the switch.

Choice opt-out

CenterPoint Energy is required to include your name, address and usage information on a list of eligible customersthat is made available to other retail natural gas suppliers or governmental aggregators. If you do not wish to be included on this list, you can inform us online at http://www.CenterPointEnergy.com/Choice in the FAQ section, or you can send a written request to: CenterPoint Energy - Energy Delivery, Choice Program Administration, P.O. Box 209, Evansville, IN 47702-0209.

Also, you can call CenterPoint Energy at 800-227-1376 and use the automated phone system to complete the process. Even if you remove your name from the list, you can still participate in the Ohio Choice program. If you have previously notified CenterPoint Energy that you wish to have your name removed from the supplier list, it is not necessary for you to take any action.

Copper & corrugated stainless steel tubing

Copper piping or copper tubing should not be used to connect your natural gas appliances since it may deteriorate with time causing safety hazards. If CenterPoint Energy notices any copper pipe or tubing while on a service call, CenterPoint Energy will tag it and include a reminder to replace it with suitable piping as soon as possible.

For safety and due to damage that may occur to corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) in the event of a lightning strike, any CSST used to connect your natural gas appliances should be bonded. CenterPoint Energy may not establish or re-establish service to a home or business unless bonding exists on CSST. A tag will be left referring the customer to obtain a suitable repair.

Safety around natural gas facilities

Identifying natural gas facilities

Natural gas is safely and reliably delivered to your home or business through underground mains and/or pipelines. System-wide, CenterPoint Energy owns and operates 5,500 miles of natural gas lines in west central Ohio. Many mains and pipelines are marked by above-ground markers to provide an indication of their presence, approximate location and contact information. Larger pipelines are often located in areas called a right-of-way, and these corridors should be kept clear of trees, buildings or other structures. Important facts about line markers and pipeline rights-of-way:

• Signs on the markers list the name of the pipeline company and a phone number where company representatives can be reached.
• Markers show a pipeline's approximate location; not its exact location.
• Markers do not indicate how deep the pipeline is buried or how many pipelines are in the area.
• Pipelines do not necessarily follow a straight line between two markers.

Which section of your gas piping are you responsible for?

You are responsible for the maintenance of all gas piping from the gas meter to all gas appliances. CenterPoint Energy, Energy Delivery of Ohio (VEDO) is responsible for maintenance of all service lines from the gas main to the gas meter. Buried gas piping which is not maintained is subject to potential hazards of corrosion and leakage. For your safety, all buried gas piping should be periodically inspected for leaks. If the buried piping is metallic, it should also be periodically inspected for corrosion. If an unsafe condition is found, the gas piping will need to be promptly repaired. Plumbing and heating contractors can assist in locating, inspecting and repairing customers' buried pipelines that span from your gas meter to all gas appliance.

Call 811 Before You Dig

Before any digging project, large or small, you must call 811 or 800-362-2764 at least 48 hours but no more than 10 working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) before digging in order to have underground utilities marked. This easy phone call can save you from losing service in the case of a cut line and possibly a more serious accident. The call is free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After underground utilities are marked, any digging near buried gas piping must be done by hand.

Requesting payment on behalf of a decedent (Small Estate)

Please see the Ohio Small Estate documentation for an explanation of the process by which a claimant may request payment of a decedent's CenterPoint Energy credit balance on a closed CenterPoint Energy account.