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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Net Income/(Loss) Attributable to Continuing and Discontinued Operations | The following table reflects the net income/(loss) attributable to NRG Energy, Inc. after removing the net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest:
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2016
| (In millions)
Income/(loss) from continuing operations, net of income tax | $ | 465 |  |  | $ | (977 | ) |  | $ | (733 | )
Loss from discontinued operations, net of income tax | (197 | ) |  | (1,176 | ) |  | (41 | )
Net income/(loss) attributable to NRG Energy, Inc. stockholders | $ | 268 |  |  | $ | (2,153 | ) |  | (774 | )
Reconciliation of Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Funds Deposited to Cash Flow | The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and funds deposited by counterparties reported within the consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the statements of cash flows.
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2016
| (In millions)
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 563 |  |  | $ | 770 |  |  | $ | 591 |
Funds deposited by counterparties | 33 |  |  | 37 |  |  | 2 |
Restricted cash | 17 |  |  | 279 |  |  | 267 |
Cash and cash equivalents, funds deposited by counterparties and restricted cash shown in the statements of cash flows | $ | 613 |  |  | $ | 1,086 |  |  | $ | 860 |
Disaggregation of Revenue | The following table represents the Company’s disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers for the year ended December 31, 2018, along with the reportable segment for each category:
| For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
|  |  | Generation |  |  |  |
(In millions) | Retail |  | Texas |  | East/West/Other |  | Subtotal |  | Corporate/Eliminations |  | Total
Energy revenue(a) | $ | — |  |  | $ | 1,585 |  |  | $ | 1,092 |  |  | $ | 2,677 |  |  | $ | (1,129 | ) |  | $ | 1,548 |
Capacity revenue(a) | — |  |  | 1 |  |  | 669 |  |  | 670 |  |  | — |  |  | 670 |
Retail revenue |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Mass customers | 5,618 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | (5 | ) |  | 5,613 |
Business Solutions customers | 1,492 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 1,492 |
Total retail revenue | 7,110 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | (5 | ) |  | 7,105 |
Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities(b) | (7 | ) |  | (174 | ) |  | (28 | ) |  | (202 | ) |  | 79 |  |  | (130 | )
Other revenue(a)(c) | — |  |  | 84 |  |  | 203 |  |  | 287 |  |  | (2 | ) |  | 285 |
Total operating revenue | 7,103 |  |  | 1,496 |  |  | 1,936 |  |  | 3,432 |  |  | (1,057 | ) |  | 9,478 |
Less: Lease revenue | 13 |  |  | — |  |  | 8 |  |  | 8 |  |  | — |  |  | 21 |
Less: Derivative revenue | (7 | ) |  | 2,160 |  |  | 193 |  |  | 2,353 |  |  | (1,037 | ) |  | 1,309 |
Total revenue from contracts with customers | $ | 7,097 |  |  | $ | (664 | ) |  | $ | 1,735 |  |  | $ | 1,071 |  |  | $ | (20 | ) |  | $ | 8,148 |
(a) The following amounts of energy, capacity and other revenue relate to derivative instruments and are accounted for under ASC 815:
| Retail |  | Texas |  | East/West/Other |  | Subtotal |  | Corporate/Eliminations |  | Total
Energy revenue | $ | — |  |  | $ | 2,332 |  |  | $ | 69 |  |  | $ | 2,401 |  |  | $ | (1,117 | ) |  | $ | 1,284 |
Capacity revenue | — |  |  | — |  |  | 138 |  |  | 138 |  |  | — |  |  | 138 |
Other revenue | — |  |  | 2 |  |  | 14 |  |  | 16 |  |  | — |  |  | 16 |
(b) Revenue relates entirely to unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815 (c) Included in other revenue is lease revenue of $17 million and $5 million for Retail and East/West/Other, respectively
Contract Assets and Liabilities | The following table reflects the contract assets and liabilities included in the Company's balance sheet as of December 31, 2018:
|  | (In millions)
Deferred customer acquisition costs |  | $ | 111 |
Accounts receivable, net - Contracts with customers |  | 1,002 |
Accounts receivable, net - Derivative instruments |  | 20 |
Total accounts receivable, net |  | $ | 1,022 |
Unbilled revenues (included within Accounts receivable, net - Contracts with customers) |  | $ | 392 |
Deferred revenues |  | $ | 67 |
Changes in Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest | The following table reflects the changes in the Company's redeemable noncontrolling interest balance for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016.
| (In millions)
Balance as of December 31, 2015 | $ | 29 |
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interest | (1 | )
Contributions from redeemable noncontrolling interest | 33 |
Non-cash adjustments to redeemable noncontrolling interest | 23 |
Comprehensive loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest | (38 | )
Balance as of December 31, 2016 | 46 |
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interest | (2 | )
Contributions from redeemable noncontrolling interest | 99 |
Non-cash adjustments to redeemable noncontrolling interest | 7 |
Comprehensive loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest | (72 | )
Balance as of December 31, 2017 | 78 |
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interest | (3 | )
Contributions from redeemable noncontrolling interest | 26 |
Non-cash adjustments to redeemable noncontrolling interest | (8 | )
Net income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest - continuing operations | 1 |
Net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest - discontinued operations | (27 | )
Sale of NRG Yield and the Renewables Platform(a) | (48 | )
Balance as of December 31, 2018 | $ | 19 |

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