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Related Party Transactions (Tables)
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
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 by CERC for these services were as follows and are included primarily in operation and maintenance expenses:
 
Three Months Ended September 30,
 
Nine Months Ended September 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
 
(in millions)
Corporate service charges
$
30

 
$
31

 
$
93

 
$
90

Charges from Houston Electric for services provided
3

 
4

 
11

 
11

Billings to Houston Electric for services provided
(2
)
 
(2
)
 
(5
)
 
(5
)