HOUSTON – Power outages in the Houston region are showing a promising decline, with CenterPoint Energy reporting fewer disruptions as the year progresses into 2025. This development brings relief to residents as outage numbers indicate a positive trend compared to previous months.
Investigative journalist Amy Davis has been monitoring the outage frequency since the summer, utilizing data from Whisker Labs, a company that compiles outage data nationally.
In August, CenterPoint Energy recorded the highest number of outages among utilities across the United States, with their service area highlighting significant outage zones. September reflected a dip in these figures, but October saw a resurgence, placing CenterPoint once again at the forefront of national outage statistics.
Encouragingly, November and December demonstrated substantial improvements, transforming the outage map predominantly to blue, which signifies fewer occurrences. By December, homes and businesses in the CenterPoint service area averaged less than one power outage per month.
In its December report, CenterPoint’s Power Outage Index registered at 0.49, compared to a national average of 0.32, showcasing a marked improvement in service reliability. Nathan Brownell, vice president of CenterPoint Energy, emphasized that while they acknowledge the data, they prefer to assess overall trends rather than monthly fluctuations. He expressed satisfaction with the reliability performance over the year, describing the ongoing improvements as part of a longer journey toward enhanced service.
According to CenterPoint, the outages in 2025 have decreased compared to the previous year, with the average customer experiencing roughly 30 minutes less outage time. The milder weather conditions during November and December contributed to this improvement, helping crews continue their efforts in upgrading utility infrastructure.
These advancements come on the heels of earlier reports that highlighted residents’ frustrations with frequent outages and power fluctuations in Houston. In October 2025, some neighborhoods experienced over eight outages in a single month, exacerbating the concerns of local residents like Tyler Steer of Pecan Grove and Chester Cassel of Klein. They shared their exasperation regarding ongoing power service issues, emphasizing the importance of tracking outage data for transparency, especially when paired with rising electric rates.
KPRC 2 Investigates will persist in monitoring power outages monthly to ensure accountability from utilities and keep the Houston community informed about the reliability of their power services.