Houston, keep the lights on when the grid goes down.
From Hurricane Beryl to the May derecho to Winter Storm Uri, Houston knows exactly what a week without power feels like. VirtuGrid helps you get rooftop solar and a home backup battery with $0 upfront. So the next time the CenterPoint grid goes down, your home has backup power ready.
Houston has earned the right to be skeptical of the grid.
This isn't fear-mongering. It's recent memory. In the last few years alone:
Hurricane Beryl
More than two million CenterPoint homes and businesses lost power. Many for a week or longer, in peak Gulf heat and humidity.
The derecho
Straight-line winds tore through Harris County with almost no warning, knocking out power to roughly a million customers in a single afternoon.
Winter Storm Uri
Days of blackouts in freezing temperatures across greater Houston. Frozen pipes, spoiled food, and families sleeping in their cars for warmth.
In every one of those outages, homes with working backup power had a way to keep the essentials running. That's not a luxury anymore in Houston. It's the difference between riding out a storm in comfort and starting over after it.
We bring the battery. You get the backup.
VirtuGrid serves homeowners across the greater Houston area. Inside the CenterPoint Energy service territory, where the retail electricity market is deregulated and you choose who supplies your power.
Your battery goes in
Licensed installers put in a home backup battery with $0 upfront. The program owns it, monitors it and maintains it for the life of the agreement, nothing for you to manage.
It joins the network
While the grid is up, your battery works alongside thousands of others across Texas to support it. That's the revenue that pays for the battery and helps keep your rate low.
Your home stays powered
The instant the grid drops, the energy reserved in your battery is yours and your home switches over automatically. How long it runs depends on the battery's charge and what you're using.
Your all-in rate on the solar + battery program starts at 12.9¢/kWh and rises 2.9% a year, with no monthly service fee, see the full breakdown on our Texas page.
Savings depend on your utility, usage and plan terms, and are not guaranteed.
What Houston homeowners ask first.
Is there really $0 upfront?
There's no purchase price and no install bill. The program covers the equipment and installation, and owns and maintains the system. In exchange, you take your electricity through our program for the term of the agreement. The full trade is spelled out in plain English on our main page.
What about a multi-day outage, like after Beryl?
Fair question: Houston outages don't always end in a day. How long a battery lasts on its own depends on its size and what you run. That's why the Texas program pairs the battery with rooftop solar, which can recharge it in daylight while the grid is down. That's what helps backup power last through a longer outage.
Do I qualify?
Generally you'll need to own your home in the CenterPoint Energy service area and have a suitable spot for the battery. The fastest way to find out is the 30-second check. No credit check, no obligation.
See if your Houston home qualifies.
Three quick questions, about 30 seconds, no credit check, no obligation.
Start your assessment