Fair Value Measurements - Level 3 (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Commodity derivative [Member]
Fair Value, Assets (Liabilities), Net, Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Changes included in earnings	$ 12	$ 19
Changes in fair value recognized in net regulatory assets	1	(6)
Purchases	0
Fair value, level 3, asset, sales		0
Settlements	1	4
Ending balance	72	58
Changes in fair value recognized in other comprehensive income	(2)	(6)
Interest Rate Lock Commitments [Member]
Fair Value, Assets (Liabilities), Net, Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Changes included in earnings	27	25
Changes in fair value recognized in net regulatory assets	0	0
Purchases	2
Fair value, level 3, asset, sales		0
Settlements	(22)	0
Ending balance	9	11
Changes in fair value recognized in other comprehensive income	0	0
Auction rate securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets (Liabilities), Net, Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Changes included in earnings	0	0
Changes in fair value recognized in net regulatory assets	0	0
Purchases	0
Fair value, level 3, asset, sales		(22)
Settlements	0	(18)
Ending balance	0	26
Changes in fair value recognized in other comprehensive income	$ 0	$ 4

A roll forward is a reconciliation of a concept from the beginning of a period to the end of a period.

No definition available.

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- Definition

This element represents assets and liabilities, net measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) which is required for reconciliation purposes of beginning and ending balances.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

Settlements that have taken place during the period in relation to assets and liabilities, net measured at fair value and categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	bhe_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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- Definition

Amount of gain (loss) recognized in regulatory assets or liabilities, net, arising from assets, liabilities and financial instruments classified in shareholders' equity measured at fair value on a recurring basis using unobservable inputs (level 3).

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bhe_FairValueMeasurementsWithUnobservableInputsReconciliationRecurringBasisGainLossIncludedInRegulatoryAssetsAndLiabilitiesNet
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- Definition

This item represents the amount of the total realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period which are included in the statement of income (or changes in net assets); the fair value of which assets and liabilities was or is measured on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (c)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66048111&loc=d3e19207-110258

+ Details

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- Definition

Amount of purchases of financial instrument classified as an asset measured using unobservable inputs that reflect the entity's own assumption about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (c)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66048111&loc=d3e19207-110258

+ Details

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- Definition

Amount of sale of financial instrument classified as an asset measured using unobservable inputs that reflect the entity's own assumption about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (c)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66048111&loc=d3e19207-110258

+ Details

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- Definition

Amount of gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income, arising from assets, liabilities and financial instruments classified in shareholders' equity measured at fair value on a recurring basis using unobservable inputs (level 3).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (c)(1a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66048111&loc=d3e19207-110258

+ Details

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- Details

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- Details

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