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REPORTING SEGMENT AND OTHER OPERATIONS DATA
 12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
REPORTING SEGMENT AND OTHER OPERATIONS DATA
15. REPORTING SEGMENT AND OTHER OPERATIONS DATA

The Company organizes its businesses based on a combination of factors, including its products and its regulatory environment. As a result, the Company manages its businesses through the following reporting segments and other operations: the Natural Gas Distribution segment consists of regulated energy and off-system, capacity and storage management operations; the Clean Energy Ventures segment consists of capital investments in clean energy projects; the Energy Services segment consists of unregulated wholesale and retail energy operations; the Midstream segment consists of the Company’s investments in natural gas transportation and storage facilities; the Home Services and Other operations consist of heating, cooling and water appliance sales, installations and services, other investments and general corporate activities.

Information related to the Company’s various reporting segments and other operations is detailed below:
(Thousands)
 
 
 
Fiscal Years Ended September 30,
2019
2018
2017
Operating revenues
 
 
 
Natural Gas Distribution
 
 
 
External customers
$
710,793

$
731,865

$
695,637

Clean Energy Ventures
 
 
 
External customers
98,099

71,375

64,394

Energy Services
 
 
 
External customers (1)
1,734,553

2,064,477

1,462,365

Intercompany
8,238

48,327

316

Subtotal
2,551,683

2,916,044

2,222,712

Home Services and Other
 
 
 
External customers
48,600

47,392

46,221

Intercompany
2,302

2,665

3,370

Eliminations
(10,540
)
(50,992
)
(3,686
)
Total
$
2,592,045

$
2,915,109

$
2,268,617

Depreciation and amortization
 
 
 
Natural Gas Distribution
$
57,980

$
53,208

$
49,347

Clean Energy Ventures
32,997

31,877

31,834

Energy Services (2)
118

76

63

Midstream
6

6

6

Subtotal
91,101

85,167

81,250

Home Services and Other
914

780

798

Eliminations
(285
)
(246
)
(207
)
Total
$
91,730

$
85,701

$
81,841

Interest income (3)
 
 
 
Natural Gas Distribution
$
994

$
614

$
555

Energy Services
78

240

6

Midstream
4,000

3,374

2,195

Subtotal
5,072

4,228

2,756

Home Services and Other
1,942

1,476

590

Eliminations
(5,391
)
(5,090
)
(1,312
)
Total
$
1,623

$
614

$
2,034

(1)
Includes sales to Canada for the Energy Services segment, which are immaterial.
(2)
The amortization of acquired wholesale energy contracts is excluded above and is included in gas purchases - nonutility on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
(3)
Included in other income, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
(Thousands)
 
 
 
Fiscal Years Ended September 30,
2019
2018
2017
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest
 
 
 
Natural Gas Distribution
$
26,134

$
25,299

$
25,818

Clean Energy Ventures
14,846

18,320

16,263

Energy Services
5,205

3,945

2,747

Midstream
2,185

1,667

960

Subtotal
48,370

49,231

45,788

Home Services and Other
1,535

7

410

Eliminations
(2,823
)
(2,952
)
(1,312
)
Total
$
47,082

$
46,286

$
44,886

Income tax provision (benefit)
 
 
 
Natural Gas Distribution
$
9,434

$
(1,910
)
$
43,485

Clean Energy Ventures
(48,921
)
(79,932
)
(31,161
)
Energy Services
(1,573
)
24,996

(4,015
)
Midstream
2,254

(8,548
)
5,820

Subtotal
(38,806
)
(65,394
)
14,129

Home Services and Other
1,428

11,944

3,857

Eliminations
(373
)
(335
)
357

Total
$
(37,751
)
$
(53,785
)
$
18,343

Equity in earnings of affiliates
 
 
 
Midstream
$
15,832

$
16,165

$
17,797

Eliminations
(2,204
)
(3,157
)
(3,984
)
Total
$
13,628

$
13,008

$
13,813

Net financial earnings (loss)
 
 
 
Natural Gas Distribution
$
78,062

$
84,048

$
86,930

Clean Energy Ventures
77,473

75,849

24,873

Energy Services
2,918

60,378

18,554

Midstream
14,689

24,367

12,857

Subtotal
173,142

244,642

143,214

Home Services and Other
1,911

(3,829
)
6,811

Eliminations
(93
)
(327
)
(633
)
Total
$
174,960

$
240,486

$
149,392

Capital expenditures
 
 
 
Natural Gas Distribution
$
340,226

$
254,523

$
176,249

Clean Energy Ventures
157,828

123,421

149,400

Midstream
20,616

5,431

—

Subtotal
518,670

383,375

325,649

Home Services and Other
2,484

1,213

2,434

Total
$
521,154

$
384,588

$
328,083

Investments in equity investees
 
 
 
Midstream
$
4,102

$
16,151

$
27,070

Total
$
4,102

$
16,151

$
27,070


The Chief Executive Officer, who uses NFE as a measure of profit or loss in measuring the results of the Company’s reporting segments and operations, is the chief operating decision maker of the Company. A reconciliation of consolidated NFE to consolidated net income is as follows:
(Thousands)
2019
2018
2017
Consolidated net financial earnings
$
174,960

$
240,486

$
149,392

Less:
 
 
 
Unrealized loss (gain) on derivative instruments and related transactions
2,881

26,770

(11,241
)
Tax effect
(711
)
(4,512
)
4,062

Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory
4,309

(22,570
)
38,470

Tax effect
(1,024
)
7,362

(13,964
)
Consolidated net income
$
169,505

$
233,436

$
132,065



The Company uses derivative instruments as economic hedges of purchases and sales of physical gas inventory. For GAAP purposes, these derivatives are recorded at fair value and related changes in fair value are included in reported earnings. Revenues and cost of gas related to physical gas flow are recognized when the gas is delivered to customers. Consequently, there is a mismatch in the timing of earnings recognition between the economic hedges and physical gas flows. Timing differences occur in two ways:

•
Unrealized gains and losses on derivatives are recognized in reported earnings in periods prior to physical gas inventory flows; and

•
Unrealized gains and losses of prior periods are reclassified as realized gains and losses when derivatives are settled in the same period as physical gas inventory movements occur.

NFE is a measure of the earnings based on eliminating these timing differences, to effectively match the earnings effects of the economic hedges with the physical sale of gas, SRECs and foreign currency contracts. Consequently, to reconcile between net income and NFE, current-period unrealized gains and losses on the derivatives are excluded from NFE as a reconciling item. Additionally, realized derivative gains and losses are also included in current-period net income. However, NFE includes only realized gains and losses related to natural gas sold out of inventory, effectively matching the full earnings effects of the derivatives with realized margins on physical gas flows. Included in the tax effects are current and deferred income tax expense corresponding with the non-GAAP measure. Also included in the tax effects during fiscal 2018, are the impacts of the Tax Act and resulting revaluation of the deferred income taxes that arose from derivative and hedging activity as measured under NFE. The revaluation caused the effective tax rate on reconciling items to differ from the statutory rate in effect for the year. The Company also calculates a quarterly tax adjustment based on an estimated annual effective tax rate for NFE purposes.

The Company’s assets for the various reporting segments and business operations are detailed below:
(Thousands)
2019
2018
2017
Assets at end of period:
 
 
 
Natural Gas Distribution
$
3,064,309

$
2,663,054

$
2,519,578

Clean Energy Ventures (1)
864,323

865,018

771,340

Energy Services
290,847

396,852

398,277

Midstream
240,955

242,069

232,806

Subtotal
4,460,434

4,166,993

3,922,001

Home Services and Other
104,411

114,732

114,801

Intercompany assets (2)
(191,860
)
(138,061
)
(108,295
)
Total
$
4,372,985

$
4,143,664

$
3,928,507

(1)
Includes assets held for sale of $206.9 million for September 30, 2018.
(2)
Consists of transactions between subsidiaries that are eliminated and reclassified in consolidation.