Supplemental Cash Flow Disclosures - MidAmerican Funding (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Interest paid, net of amounts capitalized		$ 1,673	$ 1,764	$ 1,585
Income taxes received, net	[1]	1,016	1,666	635
Accruals related to property, plant and equipment additions		547	718	1,143
MidAmerican Funding, LLC and Subsidiaries [Domain]
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Interest paid, net of amounts capitalized		204	177	167
Income taxes received, net		609	630	153
Accruals related to property, plant and equipment additions		131	249	128
Dividend, Noncash, Transfer Of Operations		$ 90	$ 0	$ 0

[1] Includes $1.1 billion, $1.8 billion and $764 million of income taxes received from Berkshire Hathaway in 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.