Fair Value Accounting, Restricted Investments (Details) (Cleco Power [Member], USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Jul. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2007	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
LPSC authorized storm reserve funding			$ 50,000,000
Amount of restricted cash and cash equivalents transferred to an investment manager		13,000,000
Municipal Bonds [Member]
Reconciliation of available-for-sale debt securities from amortized cost to fair value [Abstract]
Amortized Cost				9,838,000
Total Unrealized Gains				8,000
Total Unrealized Losses				(15,000)
Fair Value				9,831,000
Corporate Bond Securities [Member]
Reconciliation of available-for-sale debt securities from amortized cost to fair value [Abstract]
Amortized Cost				513,000
Total Unrealized Gains				2,000
Total Unrealized Losses				0
Fair Value				515,000
Federal agency mortgage-backed securities [Member]
Reconciliation of available-for-sale debt securities from amortized cost to fair value [Abstract]
Amortized Cost				1,000,000
Total Unrealized Gains				0
Total Unrealized Losses				0
Fair Value				1,000,000
Commercial Paper [Member]
Reconciliation of available-for-sale debt securities from amortized cost to fair value [Abstract]
Amortized Cost				1,483,000
Total Unrealized Gains				0
Total Unrealized Losses				0
Fair Value				1,483,000
Available-For-Sale Debt Securities [Member]
Reconciliation of available-for-sale debt securities from amortized cost to fair value [Abstract]
Amortized Cost				12,834,000
Total Unrealized Gains				10,000
Total Unrealized Losses				(15,000)
Fair Value				12,829,000
Other Current Assets [Member]
Reconciliation of available-for-sale debt securities from amortized cost to fair value [Abstract]
Realized gain on available-for-sale debt securities, less than	$ 100,000