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Related Party Transactions (Tables)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]  
Schedule of Related Party Transactions [Table Text Block]
CenterPoint Energy provides some corporate services to CERC. The costs of services have been charged directly to CERC using methods that management believes are reasonable. These methods include negotiated usage rates, dedicated asset assignment and proportionate corporate formulas based on operating expenses, assets, gross margin, employees and a composite of assets, gross margin and employees. Houston Electric provides a number of services to CERC. These services are billed at actual cost, either directly or as an allocation, and include fleet services, shop services, geographic services, surveying and right-of-way services, radio communications, data circuit management and field operations. Additionally, CERC provides certain services to Houston Electric. These services are billed at actual cost, either directly or as an allocation and include line locating and other miscellaneous services. These charges are not necessarily indicative of what would have been incurred had CERC not been an affiliate of CenterPoint Energy. Amounts charged to and from CERC for these services were as follows and are included primarily in operation and maintenance expenses:
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
 
2016
 
2015
 
2014
 
 
(in millions)
Corporate service charges
 
$
125

 
$
118

 
$
115

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Charges from Houston Electric for services provided
 
15

 
18

 
17

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Billings to Houston Electric for services provided
 
(7
)
 
(6
)
 
(5
)
 
 
$
133

 
$
130

 
$
127