CenterPoint Energy Confirms Cross-Meter Condition in Houston Billing Dispute
Source document: CenterPoint Energy response to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, dated July 14, 2026.
CenterPoint Energy Confirms Cross-Meter Condition in Houston Billing Case
CenterPoint Energy has acknowledged a cross-meter condition involving a Houston residential electric account and confirmed that the account’s electricity usage was recalculated from June 15, 2012, through June 30, 2026. The company’s written response to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), dated July 14, 2026, describes a meter-number discrepancy that was ultimately linked to another service address.
The case involves a consumer identified here as Sung. According to CenterPoint Energy’s response, the company reviewed the account after a complaint concerning a cross-meter condition at the referenced Houston service address. The response provides a detailed timeline of two field visits in June 2026 and the subsequent meter replacement and billing correction.
June 9, 2026: CenterPoint Initially Reported That the Meter Number Matched
CenterPoint’s response states that on June 9, 2026, Associate Field Service Representative Bernard Latchley Jr. visited the property to verify the meter serving Sung’s address. The representative inspected the meter in the meter base and documented that the meter number matched CenterPoint Energy’s records. Based on that field visit, the concern was closed and the account was not rebilled at that time.
June 30, 2026: A Meter Number Discrepancy Was Identified
CenterPoint’s July 14 response describes a materially different finding from a second field investigation. On June 30, 2026, Special Representative II Israel Garcia visited the property to verify the meter serving Sung’s address. During the site visit, Garcia observed that the meter installed in the meter base did not match CenterPoint Energy’s records.
The response states that further investigation confirmed the meter located at Sung’s premises was associated with another service address. CenterPoint therefore identified the situation as a cross-meter condition involving a discrepancy in the meter number.
CenterPoint Exchanged the Meter
To support accurate billing going forward, CenterPoint says Garcia arranged for the meters at both affected premises to be exchanged. The company states that on June 30, 2026, Meter Technician Jerry Kirksey visited the property to replace the meter serving Sung’s residence.
Electricity Usage Was Recalculated Back to June 15, 2012
One of the most significant statements in CenterPoint Energy’s response concerns the historical billing period. The company states that, as a result of its findings, Garcia rebilled Sung’s account on July 2, 2026, in accordance with the Public Utility Commission of Texas Substantive Rules and CenterPoint Energy’s tariff related to switched-meter conditions.
CenterPoint states that the account usage was recalculated from June 15, 2012, through June 30, 2026, based on actual meter registration. This is the period identified by CenterPoint in its written response as subject to the recalculation.
Corrections Had Not Yet Been Sent to the Retail Electric Providers as of July 14
CenterPoint also stated that the billing corrections had been completed internally but had not yet been transmitted to the affected retail electric providers (REPs) as of the date of its July 14, 2026 response. The company said electronic transmission of the adjustments to the REPs could take approximately two to three business days.
Why the June 9 and June 30 Findings Matter
The two field investigations are important to understanding the billing dispute. On June 9, CenterPoint documented that the meter number appeared to match its records. On June 30, however, CenterPoint documented that the installed meter did not match its records and stated that the meter at the premises was associated with another service address.
The July 14 letter therefore provides written documentation of a change in the company’s findings within the same month and confirms that the later investigation resulted in a meter exchange and historical usage recalculation.
What CenterPoint’s July 14, 2026 Letter Establishes
- CenterPoint reviewed a complaint involving a cross-meter condition.
- A June 9, 2026 field visit documented that the meter number matched CenterPoint’s records at that time.
- A June 30, 2026 field visit found that the installed meter did not match CenterPoint’s records.
- CenterPoint stated that the meter at the premises was associated with another service address.
- The affected meters were exchanged to support accurate billing going forward.
- Sung’s account was rebilled on July 2, 2026.
- CenterPoint states that usage was recalculated from June 15, 2012 through June 30, 2026 based on actual meter registration.
- As of July 14, 2026, the internal corrections had not yet been transmitted to the affected REPs.
Important Outstanding Documentation
The July 14 letter confirms the cross-meter finding and the historical recalculation, but it does not by itself provide every underlying record needed to independently reconstruct the billing correction. Key documents for a complete accounting include the full interval and actual meter-reading history, meter serial-number and registration history, the June 9 and June 30 field-service records, the detailed calculation supporting the June 15, 2012–June 30, 2026 recalculation, and records showing when the corrected adjustments were transmitted to each affected REP.
Source and Scope
This article is based on the CenterPoint Energy letter dated July 14, 2026, addressed to the Public Utility Commission of Texas Customer Protection Division, concerning Complaint #CP2026060929. The article distinguishes between facts expressly stated in that letter and broader conclusions that would require additional billing, meter, or REP records.
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Peter Yang