HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — After recent extreme weather events and in anticipation of Tropical Storm Francine, CenterPoint Energy is experiencing a paperwork backlog that’s delaying generator installations for many Houstonians.
The utility company told ABC13 that it has experienced a surge in automatic transfer switch (ATS) applications in recent weeks, resulting in extended wait times.
An ATS is used to disconnect from CenterPoint service in the event of an outage, allowing a generator to take over, then reconnects once power is restored.
CenterPoint is the only local utility company that requires switches to be reviewed and approved before a generator can be connected to a home. The utility company does not charge for ATS applications and writes that the process is required to ensure customer safety.
The Lemasters family is among many households experiencing an ATS delay.
“We’ve been without power twice now this summer,” Denise Lemasters said, referencing the May derecho and Hurricane Beryl. “It’s a real hassle.”
Lemasters said her family spent thousands of dollars during the outages on hotels, pet boarding, and spoiled groceries.
Hoping to avoid the problem moving forward, Lemasters said her family spent “tens of thousands of dollars” to install an emergency standby generator to power their Bunker Hill home.
While the generator is up and running, the family has not been able to take the final installation step, connecting it to their home, because of the pending ATS approval. With Tropical Storm Francine strengthening in the Gulf, Lemasters is worried the family will not be able to connect their generator before the next big weather event.
The family requested an ATS approval six weeks ago.
In emails shared with ABC13 by industry sources, CenterPoint writes that customers should allow up to one month for ATS application approval. Sources noted that the process typically takes approximately one week. Currently, sources providing corroborating documents say the average wait time hovers around eight weeks.
“It is installed and we don’t want to be sitting here with the generator unable to use it for another storm,” Lemasters said.
A CenterPoint Energy spokesperson wrote to ABC13, saying, “CenterPoint Energy is committed to satisfying our customers’ requests as they seek to add back-up generators to their homes. We are actively working to address a significant increase in transfer switch requests received over the last several weeks. We are working to bring on additional resources to expedite the extended wait times. We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding as we work to process these requests as quickly as possible.”
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