CenterPoint Energy’s outage tracker relaunched: Better information during storms
Houston - CenterPoint Energy has launched an updated version of its Outage Tracker, designed to improve the delivery of outage information during storms. The new tool, which went live earlier today, aims to offer more reliable and timely updates.
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"As part of our overall commitment to improving our customer and public communications, we have relaunched our Outage Tracker that will provide better outage information during storms. The new Outage Tracker, which went live today, is designed to meet greater demand and provide more timely updates. Future enhancements and updated functionality of the tool will be guided by customer feedback," said Tony Gardner, CenterPoint Energy’s Chief Customer Officer.
Key features
- Cloud-Based Technology: Enhances scalability and accessibility during high-demand periods.
- Frequent Updates: Data refreshed every 5 minutes for current information.
- Weather Information: Displays weather conditions impacting outages.
- Mobile Optimization: Designed for use on smartphones and tablets.
- Summary Reporting: Outages can be summarized by county, city, and zip code.
- Estimated Restoration Times: Provides estimated times for restoration of power.
- Satellite View: Allows users to assess vegetation and other factors affecting outages.
Beryl preparedness
These updates come after CenterPoint received widespread criticism from residents and politicians alike about their preparedness for the natural disaster. Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast near Matagorda on July 7. CenterPoint announced the day before, that real-time updates from the Outage Tracker were not available.
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Some residents turned to the Whataburger app to monitor power status, noting that closed locations might indicate outages. At that time, 1,563,595 customers were reported to be without power. The utility company advised customers to enroll in the Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times, and community-specific updates via phone, text, or email. General outage information, including total outage counts, was every 15 minutes on CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter.
For further details and a demonstration of the new Outage Tracker features, visit CenterPoint Energy’s website.