Related Party Transactions and Major Customers

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]

Related Party Transactions and Major Customers

(a) Related Party Transactions

CenterPoint Houston participates in a money pool through which it can borrow or invest on a short-term basis. Funding needs are aggregated and external borrowing or investing is based on the net cash position. The net funding requirements of the money pool are expected to be met with borrowings under CenterPoint Energy’s revolving credit facility or the sale of CenterPoint Energy’s commercial paper.  CenterPoint Houston had borrowings from the money pool of $312 million and investments in the money pool of $107 million as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, which are included in accounts and notes receivable-affiliated companies and accounts and notes payable-affiliated companies, respectively, in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.  As of December 31, 2015, CenterPoint Houston’s money pool borrowings had a weighted-average interest rate of 0.80%.

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, CenterPoint Houston had affiliate related net interest income (expense) of $(1) million, less than $(1) million and $20 million, respectively.

CenterPoint Energy provides some corporate services to CenterPoint Houston. The costs of services have been charged directly to CenterPoint Houston 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. CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. (CERC Corp., and together with its subsidiaries, CERC) provides certain services to CenterPoint Houston. These services are billed at actual cost, either directly or as an allocation and include line locating and other miscellaneous services. Additionally, CenterPoint Houston 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, radio communications, data circuit management and field operations. These charges are not necessarily indicative of what would have been incurred had CenterPoint Houston not been an affiliate. Amounts charged to CenterPoint Houston for these services were as follows and are included primarily in operation and maintenance expenses:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2015			2014			2013
	(in millions)
Corporate service charges	$	176		$	159		$	147
Charges from CERC for services provided	6			5			9
Billings to CERC for services provided	(18		)	(17		)	(21		)

CenterPoint Houston paid dividends of $252 million, $-0- and $766 million on its common shares to Utility Holding, LLC in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In 2014, CenterPoint Energy made an equity contribution of $90 million to CenterPoint Houston.

(b) Major Customers

CenterPoint Houston’s transmission and distribution revenues from major customers are as follows:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014		2013
	(in millions)
Affiliates of NRG	$	741	$	735	$	658
Affiliates of Energy Future Holdings Corp.	$	220	$	189	$	167