Centerpoint change to reduce bills

TEXARKANA, Texas — Centerpoint Energy customers in Northeast Texas likely will pay less for natural gas beginning next year.

If approved, a rate change plan Centerpoint filed with state regulators Oct. 30 is anticipated to take effect in the second quarter of 2024, according to company documents. While customers in the Houston and Texas coast regions will see rates increase, rates for those in the rest of the state will go down.

In Centerpoint’s Beaumont/east Texas Division, which includes Northeast Texas, the average monthly bill for a customer using 34 cubic feet of gas will decrease by 4%, or $2.12.

Affected cities in the Texarkana region include Atlanta, Bloomburg, De Kalb, Linden, Mount Pleasant, Pittsburg and Red Lick.

The company says it must adjust rates “to address increases in the costs of investing in, operating and maintaining a natural gas distribution system.”

Centerpoint also plans to consolidate its various Texas regional divisions into a single business entity “to reflect the way the divisions are operationally and geographically aligned and to achieve administrative efficiencies,” according to documents. The company serves about 1.9 million gas customers in the state.

Those seeking further information can call Centerpoint at 888-298-8776 or visit Centerpointenergy.com/txratecase.

Any affected person may file written comments or a protest concerning the proposed rate change with the Docket Services Section of the Office of the Hearings Division, Railroad Commission of Texas, P.O. Box 12967, Austin, 78711-2967, at any time within 30 days following Dec. 4.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was sourced from the Texarkana Gazette’s Public Notice section. Proposed legislation threatens the existence of these notices, without which stories like these would not be possible.