Hundreds of Houston-area CenterPoint Energy customers without power amid arctic blast

People across the Houston area are dealing with freezing temperatures Friday morning, and now, some people are dealing with no power.

According to CenterPoint Energy, 282 customers are experiencing active outages and 2,833 are affected as of 7:21 p.m.

On Friday evening, CenterPoint Energy encouraged its customers to conserve natural gas during the cold temperatures. '

“Our natural gas system is operating well under these extreme circumstances. As everyone is trying to keep warm, we are experiencing record usage of natural gas and in order to prevent service interruptions, we ask our customers to conserve energy at this time,” said Tal Centers, CenterPoint Energy’s Vice President, Texas Gas. “We encourage customers to be especially mindful of their pool heater usage. One pool heater uses as much natural gas as four residential homes. Customers can keep their pumps on without the heater to prevent their pool water from freezing.”

CenterPoint Energy offers additional energy-saving tips for customers:

  • Check your furnace filter. Change or clean the filter to ensure good airflow, which is essential for the efficiency of your furnace.
  • Keep curtains and blinds open during the day to allow the sun’s natural heat to warm your house. Close curtains and blinds at night so you don’t lose heat when the sun goes down. Also, set your ceiling fans to turn clockwise to circulate warm air.
  • Make your home more airtight to keep warm air in and cold air out. Use caulk or weather-stripping to seal leaks around doors, windows and other openings such as pipes or ducts. Close fireplace dampers when not in use so you don’t lose heat.
  • Be mindful of your pool heater usage. You can keep your pumps on without the heater to prevent your pool water from freezing.

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