CENTERPOINT ENERGY HOUSTON ELECTRIC LLC

Equity Return

The Registrants are at times allowed by a regulator to defer an equity return as part of the recoverable carrying costs of a regulatory asset. A deferred equity return is capitalized for rate-making purposes, but it is not included in the Registrant’s regulatory assets on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The allowed equity return is recognized in the Condensed Statements of Consolidated Income as it is recovered in rates. The recoverable allowed equity return not yet recognized by the Registrants is as follows:

(1)In addition to the amounts described in (2) and (3) below, primarily includes CenterPoint Energy’s allowed equity return on post in-service carrying cost generally associated with investments in SIGECO.

(2)Primarily includes Houston Electric’s allowed equity return on TEEEF costs and certain storm restoration costs.

(3)Primarily includes CERC’s allowed equity return on post in-service carrying cost associated with certain distribution facilities replacement expenditures in Texas and at Indiana Gas.

The table below reflects the amount of allowed equity return recognized by each Registrant in its Condensed Statements of Consolidated Income for the period presented:

February 2021 Winter Storm Event

In February 2021, certain of the Registrants’ jurisdictions experienced an extreme and unprecedented winter weather event that resulted in prolonged freezing temperatures, which impacted their businesses. The February 2021 Winter Storm Event impacted wholesale prices of CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s natural gas purchases and their ability to serve customers in their natural gas service territories, including due to the reduction in available natural gas capacity and impacts to CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s natural gas supply portfolio activities, and the effects of weather on their systems and their ability to transport natural gas, among other things. The overall natural gas market, including the markets from which CenterPoint Energy and CERC sourced a significant portion of their natural gas for their operations, experienced significant impacts caused by the February 2021 Winter Storm Event, resulting in extraordinary increases in the cost of natural gas purchased by CenterPoint Energy and CERC of approximately $2 billion. CenterPoint Energy and CERC have completed recovery of natural gas costs in Indiana and Texas, and continue to recover the natural gas cost in Minnesota. As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, each of CenterPoint Energy and CERC had recorded current regulatory assets of $48 million and $70 million associated with the February 2021 Winter Storm Event.

See Note 11(c) for further information regarding litigation related to the February 2021 Winter Storm Event.

Texas Public Securitization

The Texas Natural Gas Securitization Finance Corporation issued customer rate relief bonds in March 2023, and on March 23, 2023, CenterPoint Energy and CERC, collectively, received approximately $1.1 billion in cash proceeds from the issuance and sale of the state’s customer rate relief bonds. As CenterPoint Energy and CERC have no future financial obligations for the repayment of the state’s customer rate relief bonds, the customer rate relief bonds are not recorded on CenterPoint Energy’s or CERC’s balance sheets. The state’s customer rate relief bonds are backed in part by customer rate relief property, including customer rate relief charges, which are non-bypassable uniform monthly volumetric charges to be paid by all existing and future sales customers as a component of each regulated utility’s gas cost, separate from their base rate. CERC acts as a collection agent, whose duties include management, servicing and administration of a portion of the customer rate relief property which is associated with the customer rate relief charge imposed on customers of CERC under the guidance and direction from the Railroad Commission. The Texas Natural Gas Securitization Finance Corporation, and not CenterPoint Energy or CERC, is the owner of the customer rate relief property. The assets of the Texas Natural Gas Securitization Finance Corporation are not available to pay creditors of CenterPoint Energy, CERC, or their affiliates. While the customer rate relief charges will be included by CERC in their monthly billings, the billing amount is established by the Railroad Commission. CERC will remit all customer rate relief charges collected to the financing entity set up by the Railroad Commission. Therefore, the collection and servicing of customer rate relief charges have no impact on the respective Statements of Consolidated Income of CenterPoint Energy or CERC.

Indiana Electric Securitization of Generation Retirements (CenterPoint Energy)

On June 29, 2023, in connection with the securitization of qualified costs associated with the retirements of Indiana Electric’s A.B. Brown coal-fired generation facilities, the SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary issued $341 million aggregate principal amount of the SIGECO Securitization Bonds and used a portion of the net proceeds from the issuance to purchase the securitization property from SIGECO.

The SIGECO Securitization Bonds are secured by the securitization property, which includes the right to recover, through non-bypassable securitization charges payable by SIGECO’s retail electric customers, such qualified costs. The SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary, and not SIGECO, is the owner of the securitization property, and the assets of the SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary are not available to pay the creditors of SIGECO or its affiliates, other than the SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary. SIGECO has no payment obligations with respect to the SIGECO Securitization Bonds except to remit collections of securitization charges as set forth in a servicing agreement between SIGECO and the SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary.

TEEEF (CenterPoint Energy and Houston Electric)

Pursuant to Texas legislation passed in 2021, Houston Electric entered intotwo leases for medium (5.7 MW) and large (27 MW to 32 MW) TEEEF. Houston Electric defers costs associated with the short-term and long-term leases that are probable of recovery and would otherwise be charged to expense in a regulatory asset, including allowed debt returns, and determined that such regulatory assets remain probable of recovery. Expenses associated with the short-term lease, including carrying costs, were deferred in a regulatory asset as a recoverable cost under the 2021 Texas legislation and totaled $75 million and $78 million as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively. Expenses associated with the long-term lease, including variable costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the TEEEF, depreciation expense on the right of use asset and carrying costs, are deferred in a regulatory asset as a recoverable cost under the 2021 Texas legislation and totaled $104 million and $123 million as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively.

Right of use finance lease assets, such as assets acquired under the long-term leases that are still included in the rate base of the regulated utility, are evaluated for impairment under the long-lived asset impairment model by assessing if a capital disallowance from a regulator is probable through monitoring the outcome of rate cases and other proceedings. Houston Electric continues to monitor the ongoing proceedings and did not record any impairments or disallowances on its right of use assets or TEEEF regulatory assets during the three months ended March 31, 2026 or 2025.

Effective January 1, 2023, all medium and large TEEEF were leased under the long-term lease agreement. The long-term lease agreement includes up to 519 MW of TEEEF, all of which were delivered as of December 31, 2022, triggering lease commencement at delivery, with an initial term ending in 2029 for all such TEEEF leases. The remaining finance lease liability associated with the commenced long-term TEEEF agreement was not significant as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025 and relates to removal costs that will be incurred at the end of the lease term. As of March 31, 2026, Houston Electric had secured a first lien on the assets leased under the prepayment agreement.

On December 19, 2024, Houston Electric announced a proposal to release its 15 large TEEEF units to ERCOT at CPS Energy facilities to serve the greater San Antonio region for a period of up to two years. On April 18, 2025, a proposal was filed with the PUCT (Docket 57980) seeking approval of the aforementioned release to ERCOT and CPS Energy, a corresponding reduction to TEEEF fleet capacity and a rate reduction to reflect the removal of the 15 large TEEEF units from Houston Electric’s TEEEF fleet. On June 4, 2025, Houston Electric entered into definitive documentation (the “ERCOT Transaction”), subject to PUCT approval in Docket 57980, to release the 15 large TEEEF units to the San Antonio area until March 2027 unless terminated earlier pursuant to the provisions of the ERCOT Transaction, during which time Houston Electric will not receive revenue or profit from ERCOT and will not charge Houston-area customers for such TEEEF units while they remain in the San Antonio area serving ERCOT. Following the completion of service in the San Antonio area, Houston Electric anticipates that it would completeone or more future transactions involving the large TEEEF units; because the TEEEF units would not be available to serve customers during such time, Houston Electric plans to continue to not charge customers for these units for any future periods. On June 5, 2025, certain intervenors submitted a joint request for hearing. On July 9, 2025, the PUCT referred this docket to the SOAH. On October 13, 2025, intervenor testimony was filed. On November 21, 2025 Houston Electric filed supplemental testimony proposing removal of itsfive medium TEEEF units from its fleet and rates. On April 10, 2026, Houston Electric requested continued abatement until April 24, 2026 due to continued settlement discussions. Following removal of the large and medium TEEEF units from the regulated utility, as proposed in the aforementioned proceeding, such TEEEF units are subject to impairment testing under ASC 360.

On September 11, 2024, the TCA filed a complaint with the PUCT requesting that the PUCT modify its rulings with respect to its prior decisions related to Houston Electric’s TEEEF filings made in 2022 and 2023. Specifically, the TCA requested that the PUCT end cost recovery and return on investment on all the large and medium TEEEF units approved in Docket 53442. On June 29, 2025, Order No. 9 was issued to abate this complaint case until a final order is issued in Docket 57980.

Pursuant to Texas legislation passed in 2023, Houston Electric has entered into contractual arrangements to facilitate access to small (200 kW to 1,250 kW) TEEEF units. In January, 2025, the PUCT adopted the TEEEF Rule, which refined the scope of TEEEF filings that can be made pursuant to applicable Texas regulations, and in February 2026, the TEEEF Rule was amended pursuant to Texas Senate Bill 231 to, among other things, prohibit TDUs from entering into, renewing or extending leases for TEEEF units unless such units have a maximum generation capacity of 5 or fewer MW and are rapidly deployable. The TEEEF Rule has specific provisions relating to when and how utilities must request PUCT authorization to lease TEEEF units, and it generally requires a utility to obtain preapproval prior to renewing or entering into a new lease of TEEEF units, with exceptions for emergency situations or if the lease includes a provision allowing for the alteration of the lease based on applicable PUCT orders or rules. Houston Electric believes that it continues to need small TEEEF units, and on May 27, 2025, Houston Electric filed an application pursuant to the TEEEF Rule requesting preapproval to enter intotwo leases for a combined approximately 20 MW of TEEEF capacity comprised of 36 small TEEEF units, each with a capacity range of 200 kW to 1,250 kW, for respective terms of 36 months. Approval of Houston Electric’s request in this filing will have no cost impact on customers at this time because cost determination will occur in a future proceeding. On October 13, 2025, Houston Electric filed errata and supplemental testimony to modify its application to instead request preapproval of just one lease for all 36 small TEEEF units. On December 3, 2025, Houston Electric filed a stipulation and settlement agreement. On March 12, 2026, the PUCT issued an order authorizing Houston Electric to enter into a lease for a combined approximately 20 MW of TEEEF capacity comprised of 36 small TEEEF units, each with a capacity range of 200 kW to 1,250 kW, for a term of 36 months.

May 2024 Storm Events

Houston Electric’s electric delivery system suffered significant damage as a result of the May 2024 Storm Events. As is common with electric utilities serving coastal regions, the poles, towers, wires, street lights and pole-mounted equipment that comprise Houston Electric’s transmission and distribution system are not covered by property insurance.

In September 2025, Restoration Bond Company II issued approximately $401.5 million aggregate principal amount of the Restoration Bond Company II Securitization Bonds and used a portion of the net proceeds from the issuance to purchase the system restoration property, which was composed of system restoration costs previously classified within Regulatory assets and Property, plant and equipment on Houston Electric’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, from Houston Electric. Subsequent to the issuance of the Restoration Bond Company II Securitization Bonds, the system restoration property is reflected within Regulatory Assets on Houston Electric’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The Restoration Bond Company II Securitization Bonds are secured by the system restoration property, which includes the right to recover, through non-bypassable system restoration charges payable by Houston Electric’s retail electric customers, the qualified costs of Houston Electric associated with the May 2024 Storm Events authorized by the PUCT Financing Order. Restoration Bond Company II, not Houston Electric, is the owner of the system restoration property, and the assets of Restoration Bond Company II are not available to pay the creditors of Houston Electric or its affiliates, other than Restoration Bond Company II. Houston Electric has no payment obligations with respect to the Restoration Bond Company II Securitization Bonds except to remit collections of system restoration charges as set forth in a servicing agreement between Houston Electric and Restoration Bond Company II.

Hurricane Beryl and Subsequent Storm Events

Houston Electric’s electric delivery system suffered significant damage as a result of Hurricane Beryl and certain other

significant storms. As is common with electric utilities serving coastal regions, the poles, towers, wires, street lights and

pole-mounted equipment that comprise Houston Electric’s transmission and distribution system are not covered by property

insurance.

In February 2026, Restoration Bond Company III issued approximately $1.193 billion aggregate principal amount of the Restoration Bond Company III Securitization Bonds and used a portion of the net proceeds from the issuance to purchase the system restoration property, which was composed of system restoration costs previously classified within Regulatory assets and Property, plant and equipment on Houston Electric’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, from Houston Electric. Subsequent to the issuance of the Restoration Bond Company III Securitization Bonds, the system restoration property is reflected within Regulatory Assets on Houston Electric’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The Restoration Bond Company III Securitization Bonds are secured by the system restoration property, which includes the right to recover, through non-bypassable system restoration charges payable by Houston Electric’s retail electric customers, the qualified costs of Houston Electric associated with Hurricane Beryl and certain other significant storms authorized by the PUCT in its Financing Order. Restoration Bond Company III, not Houston Electric, is the owner of the system restoration property, and the assets of Restoration Bond Company III are not available to pay the creditors of Houston Electric or its affiliates, other than Restoration Bond Company III. Houston Electric has no payment obligations with respect to the Restoration Bond Company III Securitization Bonds except to remit collections of system restoration charges as set forth in a servicing agreement between Houston Electric and Restoration Bond Company III.

See Note 11(c) for information regarding litigation related to Hurricane Beryl.