In Lakewood Pines, Atascocita homeowners say recurring power issues connected to CenterPoint Energy are destroying equipment and appliances inside their homes.
They report damage to air-conditioning units, washers, and other large appliances, with repair and replacement costs running into the thousands.
Residents say those losses should not become their responsibility if the underlying problem is with the electric service.
What's happening?
According to KPRC 2, homeowners across Lakewood Pines have described the same kinds of problems: flickering lights, AC systems that stop working, and appliances that switch on and off before ultimately failing.
With similar complaints coming from multiple households, residents say the problem looks neighborhood-wide rather than being separate breakdowns in individual homes.
Alexis DeLeon, who lives in Lakewood Pines, told KPRC 2 that the disruptions have affected her AC system along with every major appliance in her house.
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"Basically, when a breaker flipped, it turned off mid-cycle and just went out," she said of her washer.
Lakewood Pines resident Josh Blair said the electrical trouble has left him dealing with a failing AC compressor during a Texas summer.
"But my kids are at home, my wife works from home — we have to keep the house cool," Blair said.
Blair said CenterPoint technicians in the neighborhood told him around Aug. 2 that the issue was being caused by the voltage coming into the community.
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Why does it matter?
When voltage problems stem from the grid, households can end up paying for a company's failure to provide stable service.
That can mean replacing costly appliances, covering repair visits, and losing access to cooling at home, all from damage residents say they did not cause.
In a place as hot as Texas, a broken AC system can quickly become a health and safety concern, especially for children, older adults, and anyone working from home.
There are also concerns about fire risk tied to unstable power.
Bob Marshall, CEO of Ting Labs, told KPRC 2 that his company's sensor network monitors outages and other electrical problems in an effort to reduce fire risk.
"Overall, we see that the greater Houston area has roughly two times the number of outages that we see across the country on average," Marshall said.
Marshall added that Atascocita homes are seeing "on the order of 2.5 to 3 power outages per home per month," compared with "0.5 power outages per home per month" for the average U.S. home.
What's being done?
Homeowners say they are comparing what they have experienced, keeping track of the damage, and pushing CenterPoint for both explanations and reimbursement.
CenterPoint said it is aware of the situation and is responding.
In a statement to KPRC 2, the company said it has been "following up with affected customers in the neighborhood" and that its team is "taking immediate actions to respond and resolve the operational issue."
Residents, however, are still waiting to see whether that response will include making them financially whole.
"The power goes on and off at different times," DeLeon said.
Blair put the financial strain into words: "I'm an educator on an educator's salary, and I'm currently in school for nursing, so money is tight."
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