Short-Term Debt and Credit Faciliites (Details) £ in Millions, CAD in Millions, $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 CAD	Dec. 31, 2016 GBP (£)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Feb. 29, 2012 USD ($)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	[1]	$ 6,345			$ 6,421
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported	[1]	(457)			(415)
Short-term Debt	[1]	(1,869)			(974)
Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		2,000			2,000
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		123			142
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		(7)			(51)
Short-term Debt		$ (834)			$ (253)
Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		0.88%	0.88%	0.88%	0.66%
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)			$ (51)
PacifiCorp [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		1,000			1,200
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		255			310
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		(142)			(160)
Short-term Debt		$ (270)			$ (20)
PacifiCorp [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		0.96%	0.96%	0.96%	0.65%
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.65	0.65	0.65
PacifiCorp [Member] | Letter of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported					$ (10)
MidAmerican Funding [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 609			609
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		(220)			(195)
Short-term Debt		$ (99)			0
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)			0
Northern Powergrid Holdings [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		185			221
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		0			0
Short-term Debt		0			0
AltaLink, L.P. [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Short-term Debt		$ (26)			$ (324)
AltaLink, L.P. [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		0.99%	0.99%	0.99%	0.94%
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.75	0.75	0.75
ALP Investments [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Short-term Debt		$ (263)			$ (77)
ALP Investments [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		1.74%	1.74%	1.74%	2.09%
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.8	0.8	0.8
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					$ (50)
BHE Renewables [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		$ 106			$ 65
Unsecured credit facility, $2 billion, expiring June 2019 [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 2017 [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 March 2018 [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 March 2018 [Member] | MidAmerican Funding [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		600
Unsecured credit facility, $400 million, expiring June 2019 [Member] | PacifiCorp [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		400
Secured credit facility, $400 million, expiring March 2018 [Member] | Nevada Power Company [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 400
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.68	0.68	0.68
Secured credit facility, $250 million, expiring March 2018 [Member] | Sierra Pacific Power Company [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 250
Debt to capitalization ratio		0.68	0.68	0.68
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
Secured credit facility, C$750 million, expiring December 2017 [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 2017 [Member] | AltaLink, L.P. [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | CAD			75
Secured credit facility, C$300 million, expiring December 2020 | ALP Investments [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | CAD			CAD 300
Unsecured credit facility, $350 million, expiring July 2018 [Member] | HomeServices [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 350
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate					1.77%
Unsecured credit facility, $578 million, expiring February 2016 through December 2016 [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%	2.77%	2.77%
Short-term Debt		$ (327)
Unsecured credit facility, $503 million, expiring May 2015 through December 2015 [Member] | HomeServices [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity					$ 578
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate					2.42%
Short-term Debt					$ (300)
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						$ 627
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		$ 599			$ 600

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