Short-Term Debt and Credit Facilities Short-Term Debt and Credit Facilities - Credit Facilities (Details) £ in Millions, $ in Millions, $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)		Dec. 31, 2019 CAD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019 GBP (£)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	[1]	$ 9,412				$ 9,114
Short-term debt	[1]	3,214				2,516
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported	[1]	629				543
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity	[1]	5,569				6,055
BHE Renewables [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		373				322
HomeServices [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Short-term debt		318				404
Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		3,500	[2]			3,500
Short-term debt		1,590				983
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		0				0
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		1,910				2,517
PacifiCorp [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		1,200	[2]			1,200
Short-term debt		130				30	$ 80	$ 270	$ 20
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		256				89
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		814				1,081
MidAmerican Energy Company and Subsidiaries [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		1,305				1,305
Short-term debt		0				240
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		370				370
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		935				695
MidAmerican Funding [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		1,309	[2]			1,309
Short-term debt		0				240
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		370				370
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		939				699
NV Energy [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		650	[2]			650
Short-term debt		0				0
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		0				80
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		650				570
Northern Powergrid Holdings [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		199	[2]			231
Short-term debt		0				77
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		0				0
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		199				154
AltaLink [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		674	[2]			639
Short-term debt		211				345
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		3				4
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		460				290
Other [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		1,880	[2]			1,585
Short-term debt		1,283				841
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		0				0
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		597				744
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		0				80
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		250				170
Tax exempt bond obligations and commodity contract collateral requirement [Member] | PacifiCorp [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		13				184
Certain transactions required by third parties [Member] | PacifiCorp [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Amounts Supported		13				14
Line of Credit [Member] | BHE Renewables [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		$ 107				$ 115
Line of Credit [Member] | AltaLink Investments, L.P. [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt To Capitalization Ratio		0.8		0.8	0.8
EBITDA to interest expense ratio		2.25		2.25	2.25
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		3.08%		3.08%	3.08%	3.25%
Short-term debt		$ 19				$ 64
Line of Credit [Member] | Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt To Capitalization Ratio		0.70		0.70	0.70
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		1.90%		1.90%	1.90%	2.80%
Line of Credit [Member] | PacifiCorp [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt To Capitalization Ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		2.05%		2.05%	2.05%	2.85%
Line of Credit [Member] | MidAmerican Energy Company and Subsidiaries [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt To Capitalization Ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
Line of Credit [Member] | MidAmerican Funding [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt To Capitalization Ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
Line of Credit [Member] | AltaLink, L.P. [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt To Capitalization Ratio		0.75		0.75	0.75
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		2.16%		2.16%	2.16%	2.26%
Short-term debt		$ 192				$ 281
Letter of Credit [Member] | AltaLink Investments, L.P. [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity				$ 10
Unsecured credit facility, $400 million, expiring August 2020 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | MidAmerican Energy Company and Subsidiaries [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		400
Unsecured credit facility, $3.5 billion, expiring June 2022 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Berkshire Hathaway Energy [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 3,500
Multicurrency revolving credit facility, expiring October 2022 [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Northern Powergrid Holdings [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | £					£ 150
Multicurrency revolving credit facility, expiring October 2022 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt to regulated asset value		0.65		0.65	0.65
Multicurrency revolving credit facility, expiring October 2022 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Northern Powergrid Holdings [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest Coverage Ratio		2.5		2.5	2.5
Multicurrency revolving credit facility, expiring October 2022 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Northern Powergrid (Northeast) Limited [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt to regulated asset value		0.65		0.65	0.65
Unsecured credit facility, £150 million, expiring April 2020 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Northern Powergrid Holdings [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt to regulated asset value		0.8		0.8	0.8
Secured credit facility, C$500 million, expiring December 2023 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | AltaLink, L.P. [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity				$ 500
Secured credit facility, C$75 million, expiring December 2023 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | AltaLink, L.P. [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity				75
Unsecured credit facility, C$300 million, expiring December 2023 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | AltaLink Investments, L.P. [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity				$ 300
Unsecured credit facility, $600 million, expiring September 2022 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | HomeServices [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 600
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		3.29%		3.29%	3.29%	3.94%
Unsecured credit facility, $1.3 billion, expiring January 2020 to December 2020 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | HomeServices [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 1,300
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		3.51%		3.51%	3.51%
Short-term debt		$ 965
Unsecured credit facility, $985 million, expiring January 2019 to December 2019 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | HomeServices [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity						$ 985
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate						4.42%
Short-term debt						$ 436
Line of Credit [Member] | Secured credit facility, $400 million, expiring June 2022 [Member] | Nevada Power Company [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt To Capitalization Ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 400
Line of Credit [Member] | Secured credit facility, $250 million, expiring June 2022 [Member] | Sierra Pacific Power Company [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt To Capitalization Ratio		0.65		0.65	0.65
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 250

[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 the drawn uncommitted credit facilities totaling $39 million at Northern Powergrid.