What To Do When You Can’t Pay Your Centerpoint Energy Bill
Centerpoint Energy is a gas company and an a electric company servicing certain parts of: Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Houston. This article covers the retail and commercial services provided by CenterPoint Energy Houston. CenterPoint Energy does not provide electricity to residential customers directly in Houston or any other service area.
How To Pay the Bill
Centerpoint Energy provides several different billing and payment options for retail and commercial customers.
Pay by automatic bank draft: Retail and commercial customers can enroll in an automatic payment plan online. All payments are automatically deducted from a bank account. A $3 service fee is charged per month for this service. The maximum amount per transaction is $9,999,999.99.
Pay online: Customers can choose to make a credit card or debit card payment via HP Convenience Pay. You can pay your CenterPoint Energy bill online at https://www.paybill.com/V2/CenterPointEnergy/Login.aspx.
Pay by phone: Phone payments are accepted at 1-866-578-7617. You must have your 7-digit invoice number to process payment.
Pay by mail: According to CenterPoint Energy, customers must mail payment to the address listed on the billing invoice. No specific address is listed for mail payments.
Questions About Your Billing Statement or Account?
A detailed list of charges and rate information is available from various Business Tariff Documents. These documents are available in PDF format, but readers can search for delinquent fees, returned check charges and other fees within the document. Customer service for business customers can be contacted by phone at 1-800-495-9880.
How The Penalty Fees Work
Penalty fees for CenterPoint Energy are different for retail and commercial customers than they are for residential gas customers.
- Delinquent payments: Accounts are charged a one-time delinquent fee of 5% of the past due balance.
- Returned check charge: $10.50 per returned item.
I Can’t Make A Payment
Customer service is the first and best option for retail and commercial energy customers having financial difficulty paying CenterPoint Energy bills. The customer service phone number is 1-800-495-9880. Electricity is required for businesses to maintain service to customers and employees, thus CenterPoint may allow up to 30 days past the due date for payment before discontinuing service. Customers can also receive assistance paying your Centerpoint Energy bill by utilizing LIHEAP home energy assistance program. Qualified applicants must be below the federal poverty guidelines. The assistance is provided to households that meet all of the guidelines and have the lowest incomes first.
Will They Work With Me To Pay My Bill?
If you need assistance paying your bill, customer service can help point you in the direction of outside agencies and services that may be able to help you, if you are eligible. There is also an average payment plan, which makes your payment the same every month, an average for the annual service costs. Customer service can also help you with conservation, and share information about rebates for various improvements around your home that will help reduce your energy costs.
