Short-Term Debt and Credit Faciliites (Details) £ in Millions, CAD in Millions, $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)		Dec. 31, 2017 CAD	Dec. 31, 2017 GBP (£)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	[1]	$ 9,051				$ 6,345
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported	[1]	(594)				(457)
Short-term Debt	[1]	(4,488)				(1,869)
Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		3,600	[2]			2,000
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		96				123
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		(7)				(7)
Short-term Debt		$ (3,331)				$ (834)
Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		1.74%		1.74%	1.74%	0.88%
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.70		0.70	0.70
Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member] | Letter of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		$ (7)				$ (7)
PacifiCorp [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		1,000	[2]			1,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		(130)				(142)
Short-term Debt		$ (80)				$ (270)
PacifiCorp [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		1.83%		1.83%	1.83%	0.96%
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
MidAmerican Funding [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 909	[2]			$ 609
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		(370)				(220)
Short-term Debt		$ 0				(99)
MidAmerican Funding [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		0.73%		0.73%	0.73%
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
Sierra Pacific Power Company [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 250				250
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		(80)				(80)
Northern Powergrid Holdings [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		203	[2]			185
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		0				0
Short-term Debt		$ 0				$ 0
AltaLink, L.P. [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		1.42%		1.42%	1.42%	0.99%
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.75		0.75	0.75
Short-term Debt		$ (121)				$ (26)
ALP Investments [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		2.40%		2.40%	2.40%	1.74%
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.8		0.8	0.8
Short-term Debt		$ (224)				$ (263)
EBITDA to interest expense ratio		2.25		2.25	2.25
ALP Investments [Member] | Letter of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | CAD				CAD 10
HomeServices [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Short-term Debt		$ (292)				(50)
BHE Renewables [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		118				$ 106
Unsecured credit facility, $600 million, expiring June 2020 [Member] | PacifiCorp [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		600
Unsecured credit facility, $600 million, expiring June 2020 [Member] | MidAmerican Funding [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		900
Unsecured credit facility, $400 million, expiring June 2020 [Member] | PacifiCorp [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		400
Unsecured credit facility, $2 billion, expiring June 2020 [Member] | Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 2,000
Unsecured credit facility, £150 million, expiring August 2020 [Member] | Northern Powergrid Holdings [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | £					£ 150
Debt to regulated asset value		0.8		0.8	0.8
Interest coverage ratio		2.5		2.5	2.5
Unsecured credit facility, £150 million, expiring August 2020 [Member] | Northern Powergrid (Northeast) Limited [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt to regulated asset value		0.65		0.65	0.65
Unsecured credit facility, £150 million, expiring August 2020 [Member] | Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt to regulated asset value		0.65		0.65	0.65
Unsecured credit facility, $600 million, expiring September 2022 [Member] | HomeServices [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 600
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		2.75%		2.75%	2.75%	1.77%
Unsecured credit facility, $1 billion, expiring January 2018 to December 2018 [Member] | HomeServices [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 1,035
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		3.60%		3.60%	3.60%
Short-term Debt		$ (440)
Unsecured credit facility, $565 million, expiring January 2018 to December 2018 [Member] | HomeServices [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity						$ 565
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate						2.77%
Short-term Debt						$ (327)
Letter of credit and reimbursement facility, Topaz and Solar Star [Member] | BHE Renewables [Member] | Letter of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		435				627
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		357				$ 599
Unsecured credit facility, $1 billion, expiring May 2018 [Member] | Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		1,000
Secured credit facility, C$750 million, expiring December 2019 [Member] | AltaLink, L.P. [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | CAD				CAD 750
Secured credit facility, C$75 million, expiring December 2019 [Member] | AltaLink, L.P. [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | CAD				75
Unsecured credit facility, C$300 million, expiring December 2022 [Member] | ALP Investments [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | CAD				300
Unsecured credit facility, C$200 million, expiring December 2018 [Member] | ALP Investments [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | CAD				CAD 200
Line of Credit [Member] | Sierra Pacific Power Company [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 250
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
Line of Credit [Member] | Secured credit facility, $250 million, expiring June 2020 [Domain] | Sierra Pacific Power Company [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 250
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
Line of Credit [Member] | Senior unsecured credit facility, $400 million, expiring June 2020 [Member] | Nevada Power Company [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 400
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65

[1] (1)The table does not include unused credit facilities and letters of credit for investments that are accounted for under the equity method.

[2] (2)Includes amounts borrowed on a short-term loan totaling $600 million at BHE that was repaid in full in January 2018.