Income Taxes, Effective Tax Rate Reconciliation (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective income tax rates	38.50%	39.20%
Cleco Power [Member]
Effective Income Tax Rate [Line Items]
Effective income tax rates	37.60%	39.10%