Electricity & gas in Portugal: your rights

The market

The electricity market has been fully open since 2006 and all consumers can choose their supplier; gas customers can also switch. Regulated (transitional) tariffs set by ERSE still exist for both and are currently planned to run until the end of 2027.

Energy regulator

ERSE - Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos

Dispute resolution

Centros de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (RNCAI)

Complain to your supplier first. If unhappy, or with no reply after 15 working days, ask ERSE to intervene. For a binding decision, use a consumer arbitration centre: arbitration is compulsory for the supplier, and free or very low-cost.

Compare prices official

Simulador de Preços de Energia (ERSE)

Switching supplier

You can switch at any time: just sign with the new supplier, who handles everything. Switching is free, supply is never cut during the process, and it must be completed within three weeks. A loyalty period (max. 12 months) may mean an early-exit penalty.

Price rises

Your supplier must tell you about contract changes at least 30 days in advance and inform you of your right to end the contract without penalty. A price rise must be announced before the billing period in which it applies.

Regulated price

Electricity: households up to 41.4 kVA can have ERSE's regulated price, via their market supplier (equivalent regime) or the last-resort supplier (CUR). Gas: customers using up to 10,000 m3 a year can sign with their area's CUR. Currently planned until end-2027.

Help if money is tight

Automatic discount (about 33.8% on electricity, 31.2% on gas) for people receiving certain social benefits or, for electricity, with annual income up to 6,272.64 euro plus 50% per household member without income. DGEG identifies beneficiaries; no application needed.

Protection against cut-off

For unpaid bills the supplier must send written notice at least 20 days before a cut-off. Households usually get their power reduced to 1.15 kVA first (5 days' notice), and supply can be cut 20 days later. No cut-offs on Fridays, weekends, public holidays or the day before a holiday.

If your supplier goes bust

The last-resort supplier (comercializador de último recurso, CUR) supplies customers not in the free market and provides back-up supply whenever needed, for example if your supplier can no longer operate.

Power cut

For a power cut contact the grid operator, not your supplier. On the mainland this is almost always E-REDES: free faults line 800 506 506, 24 hours a day. You can also report faults in its Balcão Digital.

Cooling-off period

You can cancel a contract made at a distance (phone, internet) or away from the supplier's premises within 14 days, at no cost and without giving a reason. If it was signed in your home, you have 30 days.

Smart meter

E-REDES finished its smart meter rollout at the end of 2024; a few homes still lack one because of access problems. Installation is free and you cannot refuse it, as the meter belongs to E-REDES.

Solar panels

Surplus power from your self-consumption unit can be stored, given to the grid for free, or sold to a supplier or aggregator under a sale contract. You can sell to the last-resort supplier (CUR) at a market-indexed price. There is no fixed feed-in tariff.

Free energy advice

ERSE's consumer line (213 033 200) and website explain your rights, tariffs and the social tariff, and you can ask ERSE to intervene in a dispute.

Fixed and dynamic contracts

Suppliers must offer dynamic-price electricity contracts (Decreto-Lei 15/2022, art. 136); ERSE's rules apply this to suppliers with more than 200,000 customers. Since Decreto-Lei 130/2026, suppliers with more than 200,000 customers must also offer fixed-term, fixed-price contracts lasting at least one year.

• ERSE's 2023 rules on commercial offers set the thresholds: suppliers with more than 50,000 customers must offer fixed-price and indexed offers, and those with more than 200,000 customers dynamic-price offers. (erse.pt)
• A dynamic offer is a special kind of indexed offer: the price can change every hour. Ordinary indexed offers usually change price once a month. (erse.pt)
• According to ERSE, a loyalty period (fidelização) in a household contract cannot be combined with indexed or dynamic prices (RRC art. 19). (erse.pt)
• Decreto-Lei 130/2026 of 29 June amends Decreto-Lei 15/2022 and transposes Directive (EU) 2024/1711; it applies from 28 August 2026. (dgeg.gov.pt)

Energy sharing and communities

Portugal has collective self-consumption (autoconsumo coletivo, ACC) and renewable energy communities (comunidades de energia renovável, CER) under Decreto-Lei 15/2022. A managing entity (EGAC) registers the project with DGEG through the Portal do Autoconsumo; the grid operator checks each member can join.

• Collective self-consumption needs at least two participants: households, businesses, condominiums or public services. They must appoint a participant or independent entity as EGAC and use a certified installer. (erse.pt)
• Joining keeps your rights as a consumer: your supply contract and your free choice of supplier do not change. (erse.pt)
• Decreto-Lei 130/2026 (transposing Directive (EU) 2024/1711) added a definition of energy sharing (partilha de energia) to Decreto-Lei 15/2022, covering the self-consumption of shared renewable energy. (pgdlisboa.pt)

Heating without the gas grid

Many homes use bottled LPG (butane or propane). Its prices are free and vary by seller; ERSE supervises bottled LPG prices and runs a price comparator showing where to buy. Every fuel station must sell bottled LPG, unless ERSE grants an exemption.

• ERSE can exempt a fuel station, for example on motorways, where storage cannot be made safe, or where a piped natural gas network makes bottle sales uneconomic. (erse.pt)
• Botija de Gás Solidária: beneficiaries of the electricity social tariff (TSEE) and of certain minimum social benefits get support per LPG bottle, up to two a month and 12 a year, paid by participating parish councils (juntas de freguesia). Valid in 2026 while funds last. (dgeg.gov.pt)

Grants for heat pumps and insulation

National home energy grants are run by the Fundo Ambiental. On 30 September 2026 its main household schemes were closed to new applications: E-Lar (2nd phase, replacing gas appliances with electric ones) since 24 March 2026, and Vale Eficiência since May 2023. Check the Fundo Ambiental site for new calls.

• E-Lar supported swapping gas hobs, ovens and water heaters for efficient electric ones (induction or electric hobs, electric ovens, electric water heaters). It was open to social tariff beneficiaries and other adults with an electricity contract. (fundoambiental.pt)
• Vale Eficiência closed to new applications on 31 May 2023; vouchers already issued stay valid until their own expiry date. (fundoambiental.pt)

Charging an electric car at home

Owners, tenants and other legal occupants of a flat may install a charging point in an existing building (Decreto-Lei 93/2025, art. 23). You must tell the condominium in writing at least 30 days before; it has 30 days to decide and may object only on limited grounds.

• The condominium may object only if it will install a shared charging point within 90 days, already has one that meets everyone's needs, or the installation poses a real safety risk, blocks common circulation or breaks accessibility rules. (dgeg.gov.pt)
• The work must be done by an electrical installer or technician registered with DGEG, who then issues a declaration of conformity or statement of responsibility. (dgeg.gov.pt)

Back-billing and estimated bills

Under the essential public services law (Lei 23/96), a supplier's right to be paid for electricity expires six months after supply; if you paid too little, it can claim the difference only within six months of that payment. You must invoke this expressly, preferably in writing.

• If an adjustment (acerto) is more than 25% of your average consumption, you automatically get a payment plan of up to 12 monthly instalments. (erse.pt)
• Without real readings the bill is estimated. Send your meter reading to your supplier every month on the dates shown on your bill. (erse.pt)
• For smart meters read daily, ERSE's rules say bills must use real readings; the grid operator may estimate only when there is a metering or reading fault, and must correct it within 30 days. (erse.pt)

Energy costs for tenants

As a tenant you can sign your own electricity or gas contract and choose your supplier. Your rental contract (contrato de arrendamento) is accepted as proof that you live there, and the supplier cannot refuse you because of a previous occupant's debts.

• The exception: a supplier may refuse if the change of account holder is clearly meant to avoid paying a debt (RRC art. 21). (erse.pt)
• Tenants may also install an electric car charging point in the building's garage, after written notice to the condominium (Decreto-Lei 93/2025). (dgeg.gov.pt)

Vulnerable and medical customers

If your survival or mobility depends on electrically powered equipment, you can register as a priority customer (cliente prioritário); people with visual, hearing or speech impairments can register as customers with special needs. Apply through your supplier.

• The grid operator must inform priority customers individually, directly or through their supplier, of planned supply interruptions. You should still have a backup or emergency power solution suited to your situation. (e-redes.pt)
• According to the Government, Decreto-Lei 130/2026 bans cut-offs while a billing complaint is pending, requires payment plans after 60 days of arrears taking each customer's economic situation into account, and restricts cut-offs for vulnerable consumers in winter and summer peaks. (portugal.gov.pt)

Grid connection

For a new connection or more power, apply to the grid operator (E-REDES on the mainland), preferably in its Balcão Digital. It must send a quote within 15 working days; after you accept and pay, low-voltage work must be done within 30 working days (extendable to 45).

• If the grid operator misses these deadlines, it pays you 20 euros compensation (RQS art. 105), unless the case is especially complex and duly justified. (erse.pt)
• You have 30 working days to accept the quote and choose who builds the connection, or the request is cancelled. Network contribution charges are set by ERSE and depend on the requested power and voltage level. (e-redes.pt)
• For a gas connection with consumption up to 10,000 m3 a year, the gas distributor must send a quote within 30 working days and connect within 30 working days (extendable to 45). (erse.pt)

Consumer organisation

DECO - Associação Portuguesa para a Defesa do Consumidor