CenterPoint streetlight costs jump more than 10,000% in one Houston-area community. ENOUGH asks why.

HOUSTON – For some Houston-area neighborhoods, getting streetlights installed comes with a price tag that has skyrocketed in recent years.

In one Katy-area example, the cost of seven streetlights increased more than 10,000% compared with what they paid for street lights five years earlier.

So why did the price increase so dramatically?

CenterPoint Energy says higher material, labor and underground boring costs are responsible. But the company would not provide ENOUGH with invoices showing what it paid contractors and suppliers.

That has some customers questioning how the prices are calculated — and whether CenterPoint is being transparent about its costs.

One company, one priceHouston-area residents are facing streetlight bills that have skyrocketed by more than 10,000%, raising questions about CenterPoint Energy’s pricing and lack of transparency. ENOUGH investigates why the costs have surged, who is responsible, and what residents can do to get answers. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)

For neighborhoods and communities in CenterPoint’s Houston-area electric service territory, CenterPoint owns the poles, wires and connections used for streetlights. It is also the only utility authorized to install and connect them along public roadways and in public right-of-ways.

That means customers cannot simply get another company’s quote and compare prices.

Nick Nicoletti, an electrician with 40 years of experience who serves on a municipal utility district board and a Katy homeowners association board, became concerned after seeing the cost of streetlight projects in the community he serves.

“There’s no explanation of how they got that charge,” Nicoletti told ENOUGH.

The numbersHouston-area residents are facing streetlight bills that have skyrocketed by more than 10,000%, raising questions about CenterPoint Energy’s pricing and lack of transparency. ENOUGH investigates why the costs have surged, who is responsible, and what residents can do to get answers. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)

In 2020, the Westfield HOA ordered 36 streetlights from CenterPoint.

The total cost was $1,190.

In 2025, the Ricewood municipal utility district in Westfield ordered seven streetlights of the same style along Fry Road.

The bill was $24,009.

That works out to an increase of about 10,277% when comparing the two projects on a per-light basis.

Nicoletti said customers should be able to see how the utility arrived at the price.

“There should be a formula out there,” he said. “But you can’t get that from CenterPoint.”

Houston-area residents are facing streetlight bills that have skyrocketed by more than 10,000%, raising questions about CenterPoint Energy’s pricing and lack of transparency. ENOUGH investigates why the costs have surged, who is responsible, and what residents can do to get answers. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)What does CenterPoint say?

ENOUGH asked CenterPoint how it determines what to charge customers for streetlight installations and whether it has a price list.

A CenterPoint spokesperson told ENOUGH there is no price list.

After ENOUGH provided details about the differences in the two projects, CenterPoint said the higher costs were driven by increases in materials, labor and underground boring.

According to the company:

Materials and fixtures increased 112%.

Underground boring increased 132%.

The 2025 project required more underground boring.

CenterPoint also said it does not profit from the costs recovered for streetlight installation and that the charges are direct pass-through costs.

ENOUGH then asked CenterPoint to provide invoices showing what it paid contractors and suppliers for the work.

The company declined to provide those invoices.

CenterPoint told ENOUGH it is willing to work directly with customers or homeowners associations to explain how a specific estimate was developed. Nicoletti says no one from CenterPoint has explained why the smaller, more recent project costs so much more than the project to install five times the number of streetlights.

What does the tariff say?

In Texas’ electricity market, a tariff is a set of rates, charges and rules approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

CenterPoint’s approved tariff addresses the costs associated with streetlight installations.

The tariff states that CenterPoint must pay the first $2,370 of costs for each streetlight ordered within its service territory. Costs above that amount can be passed along to the customer.

That does not, by itself, explain why two projects can have dramatically different total costs.

That’s why ENOUGH asked CenterPoint for documentation showing how the costs for the Katy-area projects were calculated.

The company said the difference was related to higher material, labor and underground boring costs but declined to provide the requested invoices.

Days before we published this story, CenterPoint sent us another email. It reads in part, “While our CenterPoint team are experts in electrical work and streetlight installation, with highly trained personnel, customers do have a choice and can choose another provider to install the lights. In such circumstances, we will be happy to connect service.”

But in the case of Westfield, the MUD was paying for the lights on North Fry Road, a public roadway. When ENOUGH asked CenterPoint if a private company could do that work, they wouldn’t answer yes or no. CenterPoint directed us back to the statement they emailed.

Here’s an important distinction: When CenterPoint installs streetlights that a customer orders, the customer doesn’t own the lights. Centerpoint still owns and maintains them. The customer pays a flat monthly streetlight fee to CenterPoint for the electricity.

If you hired a private company on private property to install a streetlight, you would own the light. It would be connected to your meter; and you would pay your electric provider for the kilowatt hours the streetlight uses.

Who is watching the costs?

The Public Utility Commission of Texas regulates investor-owned electric utilities such as CenterPoint.

ENOUGH asked the PUCT whether it monitors how much CenterPoint charges customers for services such as streetlight installation.

A PUCT representative said the commission works to ensure customers are charged only what companies are authorized to charge under their approved tariffs.

The PUCT also said customers who believe they are being overcharged can contact the agency’s Customer Protection Division, which can review the costs.

The agency said that review has not occurred in this specific case.

For homeowners, these costs can ultimately show up through HOA dues or municipal utility district taxes or assessments.

Elizabeth Martin, a Katy-area homeowner, told ENOUGH she wants to understand what changed between the earlier project and the more recent one.

“I would want to see what changed,” Martin said. “I want to see all the information.”

Krysti Shallenberger with the Energy and Policy Institute also told ENOUGH that customers should have a clear way to understand how streetlight costs are calculated.

Ideally, she said, the costs would be laid out in a spreadsheet showing why prices increased and where the money is going.

Nicoletti said the lack of documentation is frustrating for customers who have no alternative provider to turn to.

“You can’t get anybody to get on the phone or email or whatever to even respond to you,” he said.

ENOUGH wants to hear from you

This investigation is ongoing.

If your neighborhood, HOA or municipal utility district has paid CenterPoint to install streetlights, ENOUGH wants to see what you were charged.

Contact ENOUGH here.

Your information could help ENOUGH determine whether other communities have experienced similar price increases.

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