HOUSTON, Texas – We are hearing from homeowners who say power surges and faulty electric equipment owned by CenterPoint Energy are damaging their appliances, costing them sometimes thousands of dollars to repair or replace their property.
But do they have to pay for the damage done?
2 Investigates reporter Amy Davis explains what your rights are and what you can do to protect your home.
Homeowners called 2 Helps You and Amy Davis with power problem
Multiple homeowners in Pearland’s Shadow Creek Ranch subdivision reported significant electrical problems during a week in June, resulting in damaged appliances and costly repairs.
Residents experienced various electrical disturbances, from flickering lights to erratic appliance behavior.
“We would be lying in bed, and the fan would just start going 100 miles an hour,” said Theresa Touchette, another affected resident.
Riechelle Williams faced similar issues, noting circuit breakers were “flipping in certain areas of the house.” The damage to her home resulted in $4,000 in repairs.
Eventually, CenterPoint sent a crew to repair a problem in this transformer box.
But when the homeowners filed claims with CenterPoint to get reimbursed for all of the repairs they paid for, CenterPoint directed them to its tariff on file with the state of Texas. It’s basically a rule that says the “company will not be liable for any damages.”
“I had insurance, but my insurance denied me. Oh no- that was CenterPoint. I called CenterPoint. I get a denial. Well, it leaves us like ‘Ok- who do we contact?’” said Vicki Latson.
It’s a legitimate question.
KPRC 2 Investigates discovered that while CenterPoint denies a lot of claims, it does pay out in some instances.
The company wouldn’t specifically tell us which type of damaged appliances it would pay for. A spokesperson referred us to the actual section of the tariff that explains its liability.
It reads, “Company’s liability shall be limited to the cost of necessary repairs of physical damage proximately caused by the service failure to those electrical delivery facilities of retail customers which were then equipped with the protective safeguards recommended or required by the then current edition of the National Electrical Code.”
That is a lot of words to just say; they expect you to protect your home with a whole-house surge protector. It’s actually required on any new homes built after 2020.
These neighbors are now learning that it is far less expensive than paying to repair or replace multiple appliances at once.
“We’ve been here like seven or eight years, and we’ve never had these kinds of issues that necessitated a surge protector. And now you’d be crazy not to have one, you know, to try to prevent some of this stuff from not happening,” said Coy Satterfield.
Homeowners can take several steps to protect their appliances and electronic devices:
- Install a whole-house surge protector
- Ensure electrical systems meet current National Electrical Code standards
- Document any electrical issues and related damage
- Keep records of all repair costs and communications with the utility company
Thursday at 6 p.m. on KPRC 2 News, Investigator Amy Davis looks into other ways you can increase your chances of getting CenterPoint to pay for damages.
Do you have an issue you need help with? Email Amy Davis at ADavis@kprc.com and Investigative Producer Andrea Slaydon at ASlaydon@kprc.com.
