Utility Providers in Houston, MO

Do not call your electricity provider (REP). You must call CenterPoint Energy at 713-207-2222. CenterPoint is the Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU) that owns the poles and wires for the entire Houston region. Your billing company (like Reliant, TXU, or Gexa) cannot fix a power outage.

A “Switch Hold” is placed on a meter when a previous tenant leaves with an unpaid balance or if tampering was detected. It prevents you from turning on new service. To remove it, you must submit a New Occupant Statement along with your lease or closing documents to your chosen provider to prove you are not associated with the previous tenant.

This is likely due to TDU Delivery Charges. These are fees charged by CenterPoint Energy to deliver the power to your home. They are passed through to you at cost and are added on top of your energy rate. As of 2026, these charges include a fixed monthly fee (approx. $4.90) and a variable rate (approx. 6.0 cents per kWh), which helps fund grid maintenance and storm resiliency.

Check your address on the TCEQ Water District Viewer or look at your property tax bill. If you pay taxes to a “Municipal Utility District” (e.g., Harris County MUD #55), you must set up water and trash service with that specific district’s operator (such as Inframark, SiEnvironmental, or MDS), not the City of Houston.

Yes, if you are a City of Houston resident. The city accepts glass bottles and jars in the green recycling bins. If you live in a MUD, check with your private hauler (e.g., Best Trash or Texas Pride Disposal), though most major private haulers in the area now accept glass as well.

For City of Houston residents, heavy trash is collected once a month. The type of waste rotates:

• Odd Months (Jan, Mar, May): Tree Waste Only (clean wood/branches).

• Even Months (Feb, Apr, Jun): Junk Waste (furniture, appliances) + Tree Waste.

Note: Private MUD haulers usually do not follow this schedule and may take heavy items weekly; check your specific provider’s guidelines.

For most of the city, CenterPoint Energy is the sole provider. However, if you are in a newer master-planned community (like Sienna, Cross Creek Ranch, or Jordan Ranch), your provider might be SiEnergy. Check your gas meter or ask your HOA.

We recommend the Harris County EZ TAG. While state TxTags work in Houston, the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) manages the local tollways and recently took over billing operations for the region to improve reliability. The EZ TAG also works in Kansas, Oklahoma, and as of March 2025, it is interoperable with Florida’s SunPass lanes.

Generally, yes. If the gas was physically turned off (common in vacant homes), a technician must enter the home to perform a safety check and light pilot lights. An adult (18+) must be present for this appointment.

When you shop for a fixed-rate plan on the Texas Power to Choose portal, the advertised price usually bundles the REP’s energy cost with CenterPoint’s pass-through fees. Because CenterPoint’s component rose to $4.90 a month and 5.146 cents per kWh on June 1, 2026, any variable-rate contract or newly executed fixed contract will automatically absorb this spike. Tracking this baseline is critical, as over half of your total power bill at low-usage tiers now flows directly to infrastructure delivery before factoring in your actual energy supply costs.

Houston utilizes a highly aggressive, non-linear tiered pricing model for combined water and sewer utilities. If your household consumption climbs from a conservative 1,000 gallons to a heavy 14,000 gallons due to summer lawn watering or filling a pool, your bill doesn’t just multiply by fourteen—it leaps from $35.06 to $377.27. The city intentionally structures the higher tiers with extreme volumetric surcharges to enforce conservation and fund aging water main overhauls.

Houston operates a highly specific, alternating bi-monthly bulk collection schedule. During odd-numbered months (such as January, March, and May), the city will only collect clean “Tree Waste” consisting of organic branches, brush, and limbs. During even-numbered months (such as February, April, and June), they switch to collecting “Junk Waste,” which includes old furniture, appliances, and mattresses. Attempting to place regular furniture on the curb during a tree-waste month will result in a missed collection and a formal code enforcement citation.