CenterPoint Energy encourages paperless billing by donating trees for new enrollments

HOUSTON, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Earth Day, CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees in our nation's forests and communities where the company's natural gas customers live.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20020930/CNPLOGO) 

For a limited time, when CenterPoint Energy customers enroll in Online Billing through the promotion, the company will donate a tree and work with the Arbor Day Foundation to have it planted in the customer's home state to help restore urban and forestland trees in areas where they have been lost or damaged.

Online Billing is a fast, free and secure way for customers to pay their monthly natural gas bill. With Online Billing, customers can:

• Help the environment by going paperless: Saving paper lowers greenhouse gas emissions and saves trees.
• Reduce clutter: Customers receive an email when their bill is ready to view and be paid online.
• Enjoy 24-hour access: Customers can view and print any bill they've received for up to 13 months.
• Save money: Customers will avoid the hassle and cost of stamps.
• Enjoy payment flexibility: Customers can choose to pay immediately, schedule payments or set up automatic payments.

The tree planting promotion ends May 31 so customers should enroll now to help provide their communities with energy-saving shade, cleaner air, community pride and other green benefits.

For more information about where trees will be planted in each state and to sign up for Online Billing visit CenterPointEnergy.com/green. To learn more about the Arbor Day Foundation, visit arborday.org.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, interstate pipelines and field services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. Assets total more than $21 billion. With about 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 135 years. For more information, visit the website at www.CenterPointEnergy.com.

For more information contact:
Laura Cating
Phone      713.207.8134
Pager       713.619.5143  

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.