Construction Process

You kick off the electric construction process by contacting your CenterPoint Energy Representative.

Customer's Responsibilities:

Provide the following items:

• NEC load analysis
• One-line diagram
• Site plan
• Recorded warranty deed (if applicable)
• Customer need date

Please note: You may need to provide additional information as the job scope progresses.

Service Consultant’s Responsibilities:

• Schedules a date for a site visit
• Reviews customer documentation
• Performs preliminary research of job site

The Service Consultant meets you at your job site, to see the lay of the land and discuss project aspects with you.

Shared Responsibilities

Together, you and the Service Consultant:

• Identify customer’s desired service location
• Investigate the job site for potential obstacles
• Design preliminary concept based on your expectations and CenterPoint Energy standards

After the job site meeting, you and the Service Consultant independently take care of important tasks.

Customer’s Responsibilities:

You contact Customer Service to set up the appropriate account(s) and receive an ESI number for:

• Temporary account service (if needed and available)
• Permanent account

Service Consultant’s Responsibilities:

• Designs the project
• Drafts applicable documents, readying them for customer’s signature

You finalize paperwork and make any required payments so your project gets placed on the construction schedule.

Customer’s Responsibilities:

You receive documents from CenterPoint Energy which you must:

• Complete, sign and return as directed
• Pay any required charges in full

Service Consultant’s Responsibilities:

Once CenterPoint Energy receives the completed and signed documents from you, the Service Consultant

• Puts project on the construction schedule

You prepare your job site for new wires and utility pole installation, as scheduled.

Customer’s Responsibilities:

You help prevent overhead equipment construction delays by:

• Clearing any obstructions from work area
• Trimming trees and clearing brush
• Ensuring agreed-upon stake location is still intact
• Providing access to job site

Service Consultant’s Responsibilities:

• Verifies staking is correct
• Ensures any required outages are scheduled
• Ensures there is sufficient access to site on construction day

You fulfill two, final tasks. Once all conditions are met, we energize your service within 3-5 business days.

Customer’s Responsibilities:

As the construction project moves toward completion, you:

• Acquire the proper permit from the governing municipality (if applicable)
• Request a move-in order from your Retail Electric Provider (i)

Service Consultant’s Responsibilities:

Once CenterPoint Energy receives 1) the correct permit (if applicable) and 2) a move-in order from your Retail Electric Provider, we:

• Energize your service within 3-5 business days

*For Multi-Family & Apartment projects please see our move in process.

You kick off the electric construction process by starting a new project in the Major Underground Portal (MUG Portal). If you are not already registered, you must register first to initiate a project.

Customer's Responsibilities:

Provide all required information and documents in the MUG portal to successfully submit your new project for review.

• NEC load analysis
• One-line diagram
• Site plan in Auto CAD format
• Recorded warranty deed (if applicable)
• Customer need date
• Accept the terms of the project

Please note: You may need to provide additional information as the job scope progresses.

Service Consultant & Major Underground Representative's Responsibilities:

• Reviews customer documentation
• Schedules meeting and discussion via the MUG portal
• Performs preliminary research of job site

The Service Consultant and/or Major Underground Representative meets you at your job site, to see the site and discuss project details with you.

Shared Responsibilities

Together, you and the Service Consultant:

• Identify customer’s desired location of the following:
• Overhead terminal pole installation
• Pad-mounted facilities
• Investigate the job site for potential obstacles
• Design preliminary concept based on your expectations and CenterPoint Energy standards documents on portal main page
• Determine easement needs
• Update the MUG portal with all required information

After the job site meeting, you and the CenterPoint Energy Representatives independently take care of important tasks in the Major Underground Portal.

Customer’s Responsibilities:

• You provide any information on changes to the scope of your projects

Service Consultant’s Responsibilities:

• Design the overhead portion of the project
• Draft applicable documents, readying them for customer’s signature
• Request easement

Major Underground Representative Responsibilities:

• Enter design details in Major Underground Portal for project tracking by stakeholders
• Develop terms and conditions package
• Draft additional applicable documents, readying them for customer's signature
• Request easement

You finalize paperwork and make any required payments, so your project gets placed on the electric construction schedule.

Customer’s Responsibilities:

Your next steps include:

• Complete, sign and return project documents as directed
• Pay any required charges in full
• Begin working on civil work, and prepare for inspection

Once CenterPoint Energy receives the completed and signed documents from you, the Service Consultant

• Schedules your electric project construction

Major Underground Representative Responsibilities:

• Orders and / or reserves required underground electrical wire and equipment
• Enter document and payment receipt in the portal for project tracking

Customer’s Responsibilities:

• Contact Major Underground Representative to schedule a pre-construction meeting
• When an inspection is required, request all inspections (duct-bank, manholes, Pedestals, and Final Inspections) through the MUG portal 24 hours in advance
• Ask detailed questions of inspectors when they are on site about issues that need correcting

Major Underground Project Representative Responsibilities:

• Process inspection requests promptly
• Follow-up with on-site contact to confirm inspection will be performed
• Provide clear and specific instructions on any corrections that
• Process inspection paperwork timely

You prepare your job site so CenterPoint Energy can construct the overhead and underground portions, as scheduled.

Customer's Responsibilities

• Construct the civil facilities described in the CenterPoint Energy (CNP) Major Underground (MUG) Terms and Conditions (T&C) package in accordance with the specifications provided
• Request inspections via Major Underground Portal before any concrete is poured

You help prevent electric construction delays by:

• Clearing any obstructions from work area
• Trimming trees and clearing brush
• Ensuring agreed-upon stake or marked locations is still intact
• Providing access to job site
• Once underground electrical equipment is installed, customer pulls secondary wire
• Do not terminate conductors in the pad mounted equipment
• Ensure all easement documents have been signed and notarized by appropriate personnel and returned to the Major Underground Projects Representative
• Ensure all payments have been returned to the Major Underground Projects Representative

Service Consultant's Responsibilities

• Verifies pole location staking is correct
• Ensures any required outages are scheduled
• Ensures there is sufficient access to site on construction day

Major Underground Project Representative's Responsibilities

• Ensure final inspection of underground facilities was passed
• Coordinate underground equipment installation
• Ensure access to the proposed CNP MUG facilities.

Note: Terminal pole construction will occur prior to major underground equipment installation

You fulfill two, final tasks. Once all conditions are met, we energize your service within 3-5 business days.

Customer’s Responsibilities:

As the construction project moves toward completion, you:

• Acquire the proper permit from the governing municipality (if applicable)
• Request a move-in order from your Retail Electric Provider (i)

To help prevent delays:

• Do not terminate conductors in the pad mounted equipment
• Ensure all easement documents have been signed and notarized by appropriate personnel and returned to the Major Underground Projects Representative
• Ensure T&C package is signed and returned with payment (if applicable) to Major Underground Projects representative

Service Consultant’s Responsibilities:

Once CenterPoint Energy receives 1) the correct permit (if applicable) and 2) a move-in order from your Retail Electric Provider, we:

• Energize your service within 3-5 business days

Major Underground Project Representative Responsibilities:

• Verify correct permit received (if applicable)
• Verify Move-In order received in CenterPoint Energy system from Retail Electric Provider
• Verify all easement documents have been signed and notarized by appropriate personnel and accepted by CenterPoint Energy
• Verify all payments have been received (if applicable)
• Verify signed T&C package is received by the Major Underground Projects representative
• Ensure access to the proposed Major Underground facilities.
• Communicate with the appropriate CenterPoint Energy departments to install and energize the CenterPoint Energy portion of the facilities when ready.

*For Multi-Family & Apartment projects please see our move in process.

*Note:

• CenterPoint Energy Major Underground sets pad mounted transformers at the location in the T&C within 10 business days. (assuming all other criteria met)
• After the customer or a representative notifies CenterPoint Energy Major Underground Projects Representative that the conductors have been terminated at customers facilities, CenterPoint Energy Major Underground begins installing the remaining CenterPoint Energy distribution facilities within one week. (assuming all other criteria met)

You kick off the electric construction process by accessing the Joint Trench Portal website.

Customer's Responsibilities:

Login and enter your new project into the Joint Trench Portal.

Navigate through and provide all requested information on Portal pages 1-4.

Once the project has been entered, it will be review by CenterPoint Energy’s Land and Right of Way department and either rejected or approved.

Submit CAD file & PDF copy in Final/Recorded status (required)
Submit WS&D plan in additional documents once approved
Submit the most current overall land plan in additional documents once approved

(Note: Your Service Consultant will not know of the project, until it has been approved by LROW.)

Shared Responsibilities

Together, you and the Service Consultant:

• Identify the overhead route
• Contact and discuss decorative streetlights with streetlight consultant

Customer's Responsibilities:

• Review layouts & discuss changes (if applicable)
• Sign & return layouts
• Provide address plan (if applicable)

Service Consultant Responsibilities:

• Design underground (URD) & overhead layouts
• Design Streetlight (Decorative & Standard)
• Discuss blanket vs defined easement options
• Discuss requirements of pre-construction walk (see row 6 of customer responsibilities)

Customer Responsibilities:

To avoid delays:

• Send recorded plat to consultant as soon as it is available

Service Consultant Responsibilities:

• Gas to proceed with their design

Customer’s Responsibilities:

• Sign & return contracts and payment
• Provide metes and bounds for blanket / recorded plat for defined easements
• Pin/stake front and rear lots (failure to do so will cause a delay in receiving easements)

Service Consultant Responsibilities:

• Provide URD & streetlight contracts to developer once gas design is complete
• Discuss 50% contract (initial vs. additional, if applicable)
• Request easements from LROW

Customer’s Responsibilities:

• Section at final grade
• All streets complete (including main entry access)
• All lots pinned & staked
• All easements clear of obstacles

Service Consultant Responsibilities:

• Ensure cable/telephone have completed their design
• Verify all customer requirements have been met

Customer’s Responsibilities:

To avoid delays, keep easements clear during construction.

• Meet on site for pre-construction walk
• Provide full set of WS & D plans at walk (hard copy)
• Complete requests made by consultant at the walk
• Return FEA & check for additional bores (if applicable)

Service Consultant Responsibilities:

• Monitor construction process
• Schedule pre-construction walk date/time
• Meet on site for pre-construction walk
• Perform pre-construction walk checklist
• Identify additional bores & send Facilities Extension Agreement (FEA) to customer (if applicable)

Customer’s Responsibilities:

• Conduct visual inspection
• Identify any concerns with construction
• Call Retail Electric Provider for service to homes

Service Consultant Responsibilities:

• Notify developer of post-construction walk date/time
• Notify developer once the section has been energized