Subsidiary Debt - BHE Renewables (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value		$ 36,295
Subsidiary Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value		27,476
Other long-term debt		27,354	$ 27,214
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value		3,716
Other long-term debt		$ 3,674	$ 3,356
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate		3.21%	3.55%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate		3.63%	3.63%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | CE Generation Bonds 7.416% due 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 67
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 67	$ 97
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		7.416%	7.416%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Salton Sea Funding Corporation Bonds 7.475% due 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 30
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 31	$ 51
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		7.475%	7.475%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Cordova Funding Corporation Bonds, 8.48% to 9.07%, due 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 96
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 97	$ 113
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Cordova Funding Corporation Bonds, 8.48% to 9.07%, due 2019 [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		8.48%	8.48%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Cordova Funding Corporation Bonds, 8.48% to 9.07%, due 2019 [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		9.07%	9.07%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Bishop Hill Holdings Senior Notes, 5.125%, due 2032 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 100
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 99	$ 102
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.125%	5.125%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Solar Star Funding, LLC Series A Senior Secured Notes, 3.950%, due June 2035 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 316
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 311	$ 321
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.95%	3.95%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Solar Star Funding, LLC Series A Senior Secured Notes, 5.375%, due June 2016 through June 2035 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 977
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 966	$ 988
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.375%	5.375%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Grande Prairie Wind, Senior Notes, 3.860%, due 2037 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 419
Other long-term debt		414	$ 0
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Topaz Solar Farms Senior Notes, 5.75%, due 2039 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	791
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 780	$ 815
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.75%	5.75%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Topaz Solar Farms Senior Notes, 4.875%, due 2039
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 230
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 229	$ 239
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.875%	4.875%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Other debt obligations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 22
Other long-term debt	[1]	22	$ 25
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Pinyon Pines I and II Term Loans, due 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1],[2]	356
Other long-term debt	[1],[2]	$ 355	$ 378
Variable interest rate		2.62%	2.23%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.55%	3.55%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Wailuku Special Purpose Revenue Bonds, 0.09% due 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 7
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 7	$ 8
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		0.90%	0.90%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | TX Jumbo Road Term Loan, 3.626% due 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 212
Other long-term debt	[1]	$ 206	$ 219
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.626%	3.626%
BHE Renewables [Member] | Subsidiary Debt [Member] | Marshall Wind term loan, variable interest rate, due 2026 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Par value	[1]	$ 93
Other long-term debt		$ 90	$ 0
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.212%	0.00%

[1] Amortizes quarterly or semiannually.

[2] The term loans have variable interest rates based on LIBOR plus a margin that varies during the terms of the agreements. The Company has entered into interest rate swaps that fix the interest rate on 75% of the Pinyon Pines outstanding debt and 100% of the TX Jumbo Road and Marshall Wind outstanding debt. The variable interest rate as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 was 2.62% and 2.23%, respectively, while the fixed interest rates ranged from 3.21% to 3.63% as of December 31, 2016, and 3.55% to 3.63% as of December 31, 2015.