CenterPoint delivery charges in Houston changed three times in seven weeks, and the last change lands on October bills. For meters read on or after September 30, 2026, the residential delivery charge is 6.5333 cents per kWh plus $4.90 a month (as of October 1, 2026, per the Public Utility Commission of Texas). At 1,000 kWh that comes to $70.23, about $1.20 more than in September and $15.52 more than in late August.

Here is the sequence. The per-kWh charge dipped from 5.1461 to 4.9811 cents effective August 15, 2026, then jumped to 6.4130 cents effective September 1, mostly because CenterPoint's transmission cost rider nearly doubled. Effective September 30, an interim order in PUCT Docket No. 59981 raised the Distribution Cost Recovery Factor (DCRF) from 0.4934 to 0.6137 cents per kWh. The new DCRF replaces the old one instead of stacking on top of it. A settlement filed October 1, 2026 keeps the residential DCRF at that same 0.6137 cents, pending Commission approval.

Key Takeaways

• Today's rate: CenterPoint's residential delivery charge is $4.90 a month plus 6.5333 cents per kWh for meters read on or after September 30, 2026 (as of October 1, 2026, per the PUCT's rate summary).
• August 15 dip: The per-kWh charge fell 3.2 percent, from 5.1461 to 4.9811 cents per kWh (effective August 15, 2026), after a settlement removed some mobile generators from CenterPoint's emergency-generation rider.
• September 1 jump: The charge rose about 28.7 percent to 6.4130 cents per kWh (effective September 1, 2026). The Transmission Cost Recovery Factor alone rose 1.4639 cents, from 1.6173 to 3.0812 cents per kWh, under PUCT Docket No. 59825.
• September 30 step: The DCRF went from 0.4934 to 0.6137 cents per kWh (effective September 30, 2026). That is a net increase of 0.1203 cents, about $1.20 a month at 1,000 kWh. The October 1 settlement lists the same 0.6137-cent residential rate.
• How Houston compares: At 1,000 kWh, CenterPoint's $70.23 delivery cost is higher than AEP Texas Central ($60.42) and AEP Texas North ($59.27), and lower than Oncor ($72.73 since Oncor's October 4, 2026 increase) and TNMP ($85.27).

What are CenterPoint delivery charges?

CenterPoint delivery charges are the PUCT-approved fees CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric collects to carry electricity over its poles, wires and substations to homes and businesses in the Houston area. Your retail electric provider (REP) passes them through at the same amount no matter which company you buy power from. Whether your plan is with Ambit, TXU, Reliant, Direct Energy or Green Mountain, the CenterPoint charges for the same usage are identical.

For a home, the charge has two parts. The fixed part is $4.90 a month, made up of a $2.11 customer charge and a $2.79 metering charge. The variable part is a per-kWh charge, which is 6.5333 cents per kWh for meters read on or after September 30, 2026 (as of October 1, 2026).

That per-kWh number is really a stack of smaller charges. There is a base distribution rate set in CenterPoint's last full rate case, plus riders that let the utility update specific costs between rate cases. The two riders behind this fall's changes are the Transmission Cost Recovery Factor (TCRF) and the Distribution Cost Recovery Factor (DCRF). Every rider change needs PUCT approval before it can appear on a bill, which is why each number in this article traces to a public docket or a published rate notice.

The Houston Delivery Timeline: which rate was in effect when?

The Houston Delivery Timeline is the simplest way to see which CenterPoint rate applied to a given bill. CenterPoint's residential per-kWh charge took four different values between June and October 2026, while the $4.90 monthly charge never moved.

To use the timeline on your own bill, run a three-step read-date check:

1. Find the meter read date. It is printed on your bill with the service period, usually as the last day of the billing cycle.
2. Match it to the timeline. The September 30 change is tied to the meter read date by the PUCT's interim order, so a read on September 29 uses 6.4130 cents and a read on September 30 uses 6.5333 cents.
3. Do the math. If your bill lists delivery charges as their own line, multiply your kWh by that row's per-kWh charge and add $4.90. If the numbers don't line up and your provider can't explain the gap, our guide to disputing an electric bill in Texas walks through the next steps.

Some plans fold delivery into a single all-in price per kWh, so you may not see a separate delivery line. The delivery cost is still in there.

What actually changed on August 15?

On August 15, 2026, CenterPoint's residential per-kWh delivery charge fell from 5.1461 to 4.9811 cents per kWh (effective August 15, 2026), while the $4.90 monthly charge held steady. According to BKV Energy's rate notice, that saved about $1.65 a month at 1,000 kWh and $3.30 a month at 2,000 kWh.

The cut came from a single rider. CenterPoint's Rider TEEEF (Temporary Emergency Electric Energy Facilities) recovers the cost of mobile generators the utility leased for emergencies. A settlement in PUCT Docket No. 57980 with Commission Staff and several cities removed certain of those units from the rider's revenue requirement, according to EnergyChoiceMatters' June 29, 2026 report. The residential TEEEF rate fell from 0.2392 to 0.0742 cents per kWh (effective August 15, 2026). That 0.1650-cent drop matches the change in the total exactly.

It was less a price cut than a partial reversal. BKV Energy reported that the same charge had risen on June 1, 2026, from 4.9715 to 5.1461 cents per kWh (as of June 1, 2026). The August 15 rate landed within a hundredth of a cent of the pre-June level.

North Texas saw a similar pattern this summer. Oncor's per-kWh delivery charge went down on August 1, 2026, and as we explained in our Oncor August 1 delivery charge breakdown, the Dallas-area bill still went up. The CenterPoint story has the same shape: a small decrease that was gone within weeks.

Why did CenterPoint delivery charges jump on September 1?

CenterPoint delivery charges jumped on September 1, 2026 because of transmission costs. The per-kWh charge rose from 4.9811 to 6.4130 cents per kWh (effective September 1, 2026), about 28.7 percent, and nearly all of that came from the Transmission Cost Recovery Factor.

The Transmission Cost Recovery Factor (TCRF) is the rider a Texas utility uses to update the transmission costs it recovers between rate cases, including what it pays to use other utilities' transmission lines across the ERCOT grid. In PUCT Docket No. 59825, approved July 8, 2026, CenterPoint's residential TCRF rose from 1.6173 to 3.0812 cents per kWh (effective September 1, 2026). That 1.4639-cent increase is slightly larger than the 1.4319-cent rise in the total. The rest of the stack moved down a little, including a small DCRF dip from 0.4944 to 0.4934 cents per kWh under CenterPoint's rate notice effective September 1, 2026.

Transmission weighs more heavily on Houston households than the headline rate suggests. The Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute's ERCOT Electricity Affordability Outlook found that in CenterPoint's service territory in 2023, residential customers used 33 percent of the electricity but were allocated 49 percent of the transmission costs.

You may have read that the fall increase came from Hurricane Beryl. The filings don't show that. CenterPoint's recovery of costs from Hurricanes Beryl and Francine and Winter Storm Enzo was approved earlier, and Energy Ogre's Q1 2026 Texas electricity market update put it at about $2.00 a month for a 1,000 kWh customer, reflected in the March 2026 adjustment.

What does the September 30 change do?

For meters read on or after September 30, 2026, CenterPoint's residential DCRF rose from 0.4934 to 0.6137 cents per kWh (effective September 30, 2026). The DCRF is the rider that lets CenterPoint recover new distribution investment, meaning local poles, wires and substations, between full rate cases. It was already on your bill at 0.4934 cents and already counted in the September 1 total, so the interim rate replaces that level instead of adding on top of it. The net change is 0.1203 cents, which takes the total to 6.5333 cents per kWh (as of October 1, 2026).

That distinction is easy to miss. Adding the full 0.6137 cents to the September 1 rate would put the total near 7.03 cents and overstate the September 30 increase about fivefold. The PUCT's own October 1, 2026 rate summary lists 6.5333 cents.

Here is how PUCT Docket No. 59981 has moved so far:

• July 17, 2026: CenterPoint files its application to amend the DCRF.
• August 14, 2026: Order No. 6 approves interim rates for meters read on or after September 30, 2026, subject to reconciliation against the final tariff.
• September 3, 2026: Commission Staff files its final recommendation.
• October 1, 2026: CenterPoint files a Stipulation and Settlement Agreement signed by Commission Staff, the City of Houston and the Gulf Coast Coalition of Cities. The Texas Coast Utilities Coalition, Texas Industrial Energy Consumers and the Texas REP Coalition are unopposed.

The settlement agrees to CenterPoint's proposed load-growth-adjusted DCRF revenue requirement of $352,318,850 and lists the residential rate at $0.006137 per kWh, the same as the interim rate. If the Commission approves it as filed, the residential DCRF on your bill stays where it is now. If the final rates differ, the settlement says they take effect for meters read on or after the first day of the month following 45 days' notice to retail providers. As of October 14, 2026, the Commission had not issued a final order. You can follow the docket on the PUCT Interchange page for Docket No. 59981.

The meter read date decides when you see it. Most Houston meters are read on a rolling monthly schedule. If yours is usually read around the 22nd, your September 22 read used 6.4130 cents and your October 22 read is the first to carry the new DCRF.

What does this do to your Houston bill?

At 1,000 kWh, the CenterPoint delivery portion of a Houston bill went from $54.71 in late August to $69.03 in September to $70.23 for meters read on or after September 30, 2026. The September 30 step adds about $1.20 a month. Most of the $15.52 rise since late August came on September 1.

CenterPoint residential delivery cost, before supply charges from your provider:

The September 30 row matches the PUCT's October 1, 2026 rate summary to the penny.

Here is how CenterPoint stacks up against the other big ERCOT delivery utilities:

Source: PUCT residential TDU delivery charges, as of October 1, 2026. The Oncor row reflects Oncor's October 4, 2026 increase from 6.0295 to 6.8673 cents per kWh, per BKV Energy's rate notice. The other utilities' charges were unchanged through October 14, 2026.

Those figures cover delivery only. Your total bill also includes the supply charge you pay your provider. According to Energy Ogre's Q2 2026 Texas electricity market update, citing EIA data, Texas residential customers paid about 15.41 cents per kWh all-in in Q2 2026, roughly 13 percent below the 17.65-cent national average (as of June 11, 2026). CenterPoint customers in Houston averaged closer to 14.93 cents. Those averages predate the September changes.

Does a fixed-rate plan protect you from CenterPoint delivery charge changes?

No, not from these line items. A fixed-rate plan locks the supply portion of your bill, which is the part your provider controls. Delivery charges are set through the PUCT and passed through unchanged, so a TCRF or DCRF increase shows up on your bill even if you signed a 24-month fixed contract last week.

That's also why the average price on your Electricity Facts Label is a snapshot. The label shows average prices at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh with delivery charges included, using the delivery rates in effect when the label was issued. Our guide to reading a Texas Electricity Facts Label covers the six numbers worth checking.

The upside is real, though. A fixed rate keeps the supply side steady when wholesale prices spike, as they can in a Texas summer. On July 22, 2026, ERCOT demand hit a record 91,308 megawatts, according to the Texas Tribune. For a longer look at the fixed-versus-variable question, see our breakdown of the Texas fixed-rate lock decision for August 2026.

What can Houston households do now?

Delivery charges are the same for every provider, so the levers you control are the supply rate and your usage. A few practical moves for the next 60 days:

• Re-check your plan against the current market. The September 1 delivery increase means plan prices that include delivery are being repriced too. Our guide to the six Electricity Facts Label numbers walks through the fields to compare before signing.
• Match your plan to your usage. A free-nights plan can work for a household that runs the dishwasher, laundry and pool pump after 8 PM, while a straight fixed rate is usually the safer choice for a daytime-heavy home. We break down the trade-offs in our comparison of TXU Free Nights and Weekends vs Ambit Free and Clear Nights.
• Watch the meter read date on your next bill. For most households, the first bill with the higher DCRF is the October bill, and depending on your read schedule it may not arrive until late October or early November. For how the Texas delivery utilities compare line by line, see our TDU delivery charges explainer for Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP and TNMP.
• Trim peak usage. Because the delivery charge is mostly per kWh, every kWh you avoid saves about 6.5 cents in delivery alone at the current CenterPoint rate (as of October 1, 2026), before your supply rate.

Why are delivery charges rising in the first place?

Delivery charges are rising because Texas is building grid to keep up with demand. ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas told the Texas Senate Business and Commerce Committee in July 2026 that statewide demand could reach roughly 175,000 megawatts by 2032, nearly double the July 22 record, the Texas Tribune reported. "Texas is continuing to grow beyond data centers significantly," said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

That growth needs new poles, wires, substations and transmission lines, and the TCRF and DCRF are how utilities recover those costs between rate cases. The Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI) reported that ERCOT residential electricity rates rose about 30 percent since 2021 and projected a further 29 percent increase from 2025 to 2030, from 15.33 to 19.75 cents per kWh (as of December 9, 2025), driven mainly by planned transmission and distribution investment. TEPRI's forecast model was designed by Kit Pevoto, an independent electric rate expert who spent twelve years at the PUCT as manager of its Costing and Pricing Section. TEPRI Executive Director Margo Weisz presented the findings in a January 2026 webinar.

David Kinchen, Chief Operating Officer at Energy Ogre, put it plainly in his Q1 2026 market update: "Delivery fees are rising regardless of your provider." The September 30 rider is part of that longer pattern, not a one-time event.

Frequently asked questions

Are CenterPoint delivery charges the same on every Houston electricity plan?

Yes. CenterPoint delivery charges are PUCT-approved and passed through at the same amount by every provider in the CenterPoint territory. Whether you buy from Ambit, TXU, Reliant, Direct Energy or Green Mountain, the delivery charges for the same usage are identical.

When will my bill reflect the September 30 CenterPoint DCRF change?

On the first bill with a meter read on or after September 30, 2026. For most households that is the October bill. The new DCRF replaces the old one, so the total rises 0.1203 cents to 6.5333 cents per kWh (as of October 1, 2026), about $1.20 a month at 1,000 kWh.

Did CenterPoint delivery charges fall in August 2026?

Yes, once. Effective August 15, 2026, the residential per-kWh charge dropped from 5.1461 to 4.9811 cents per kWh, a decrease of about 3.2 percent, after a settlement cut the TEEEF emergency-generation rider. The $4.90 monthly charge stayed the same.

What is PUCT Docket 59981?

PUCT Docket No. 59981 is CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric's application to update its Distribution Cost Recovery Factor. Order No. 6, filed August 14, 2026, approved interim rates for meters read on or after September 30, 2026, subject to reconciliation once the Commission approves final rates.

Will the October 1 settlement change my bill?

Not as filed. The settlement lists the residential DCRF at $0.006137 per kWh, the same as the interim rate, and adopts CenterPoint's proposed revenue requirement of $352,318,850. The Commission still has to approve it, and as of October 14, 2026 it had not issued a final order.

Can I switch providers to avoid the September 30 delivery charge increase?

No. Every provider passes through the same PUCT-approved delivery charges. Switching can lower your supply charges but can't change the delivery portion, so compare plans on the average price shown on each Electricity Facts Label rather than the supply rate alone.

Plan details and rates subject to change. An Electricity Facts Label is available for every Ambit residential plan. New service is subject to credit approval. Delivery rates and tariffs cited above are current as of October 14, 2026. Visit ambitenergy.com for full plan terms. VIP Energy Service is an Authorized Independent Consultant for Ambit Energy (PUCT Certificate No. 10117). Ambit Consultant earnings vary and are not guaranteed. Consult the Statement of Independent Contractor and Income Disclosure for details.