Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Other Matters (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

New Financial Accounting Standards

New Financial Accounting StandardsIn March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting (ASU 2020-04). In 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), a benchmark interest rate referenced in a variety of agreements, after 2021. In March 2021, the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority confirmed that U.S. Dollar LIBOR will no longer be published after December 31, 2021 for one-week and two-month U.S. Dollar LIBOR tenors, and after June 30, 2023 for all other U.S. Dollar LIBOR tenors. ASU 2020-04 provides entities with optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued. In January 2021, the FASB issued amendments to the guidance through ASU 2021-01 to include all contract modifications and hedging relationships affected by reference rate reform, including those that do not directly reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued, and clarify which optional expedients may be applied to them. The guidance can be applied prospectively. The optional relief is temporary and generally cannot be applied to contract modifications and hedging relationships entered into or evaluated after December 31, 2022. The Companies do not expect the new guidance to have a material impact on their financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

Earnings Per Common Share

Earnings Per Common Share

Con Edison presents basic and diluted earnings per share (EPS) on the face of its consolidated income statement. Basic EPS is calculated by dividing earnings available to common shareholders (“Net income for common stock” on Con Edison’s consolidated income statement) by the weighted average number of Con Edison common shares outstanding during the period. In the calculation of diluted EPS, weighted average shares outstanding is increased for additional shares that would be outstanding if potentially dilutive securities were converted to common stock.

Potentially dilutive securities for Con Edison consist of restricted stock units and deferred stock units for which the average market price of the common shares for the period was greater than the exercise price.