Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

The Registrants capitalize interest and AFUDC as a component of projects under construction and amortize it over the assets’ estimated useful lives once the assets are placed in service. AFUDC represents the composite interest cost of borrowed funds and a reasonable return on the equity funds used for construction for subsidiaries that apply the guidance for accounting for regulated operations. Although AFUDC increases both utility plant and earnings, it is realized in cash when the assets are included in rates.


	Year Ended December 31,
	2021						2020						2019
	CenterPoint Energy		Houston Electric		CERC		CenterPoint Energy		Houston Electric		CERC		CenterPoint Energy		Houston Electric		CERC
	(in millions)
Interest and AFUDC debt (1)	$	34	$	13	$	2	$	27	$	8	$	3	$	36	$	8	$	3
AFUDC equity (2)	28		20		3		25		14		3		22		15		3

(1)Included in Interest and other finance charges on the Registrants’ respective Statements of Consolidated Income, inclusive of $16 million, $13 million and $21 million of debt post in-service carrying costs on property, plant and equipment, primarily in Indiana, deferred into a regulatory asset in the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

(2)Included in Other Income (Expense) on the Registrants’ respective Statements of Consolidated Income.

LIFO Inventory

The Registrants’ inventory consists principally of materials and supplies, and for CERC, natural gas, and for CenterPoint Energy, coal inventory. Materials and supplies are valued at the lower of average cost or market. Materials and supplies are recorded to inventory when purchased and subsequently charged to expense or capitalized to plant when installed. Certain natural gas in storage at CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s utilities are recorded using the LIFO method. CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s balances in inventory that were valued using LIFO method were as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2021 (1)		2020		2021 (1)		2020 (1)
	CenterPoint Energy				CERC
	(in millions)
LIFO inventory	$	101	$	92	$	56	$	55

(1)Based on the average cost of gas purchased during December 2021, CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s cost of replacing inventories carried at LIFO cost was less than the carrying value at December 31, 2021 by $48 million and $-0-, respectively.