Setting Up Utilities in Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

• You have signed a lease or bought a home and need electricity, gas, water, and internet connected.
• You have a NIF (tax number) and a Portuguese bank account, or are about to get them.
• You want to know whether the regulated tariff or a free-market supplier is cheaper.

Not for you if: You do not yet have a NIF (tax number) or a Portuguese bank account: read "Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal" and "Opening a Bank Account in Portugal" first.

Updated September 2026. This version adds ERSE's 2026 regulated electricity prices and social tariff thresholds, the E-Redes activation rules and 2026 service fees, the extension of regulated tariffs to the end of 2027, and current fibre prices from MEO, NOS, Vodafone, and DIGI (which has absorbed NOWO).

Moving into a home in Portugal means opening four contracts in your own name: electricity, gas (piped or bottled), water, and internet. Nothing transfers automatically, and every provider will want your NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal, tax number) and proof that you live at the address before anything is switched on.

Three of the four can be done online in an afternoon. This guide covers all four at set-up level: how the market works, what to gather, the steps, what it costs, and what goes wrong. For the fine print on choosing an electricity tariff or a gas supplier, see the separate deep dives linked in each section.

How utilities work in Portugal: who does what

Electricity and piped gas each involve two companies. The comercializador (supplier) is the company you sign a contract with and pay. The operador de rede (network operator) owns the wires or pipes, the meter, and the connection to your home. For electricity on the mainland this is E-Redes. For gas it is a regional distributor (in the North, typically REN Portgás Distribuição). You never contract directly with the network operator; your supplier sends them the order to activate, read, or reconnect your meter.

Water is different. It is a municipal service, so there is no choice of provider and no market. You contract with whichever company or council department serves your concelho (municipality).

Internet is a fully competitive market regulated by ANACOM, with four national operators and a handful of low-cost brands.

Regulated versus liberalised: what that means for you

Portugal opened its electricity market to all household customers in 2006, but it kept a mercado regulado (regulated market) alongside it. Under the regulated tariff, prices are set once a year by ERSE (Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos, the energy regulator) and supplied by a comercializador de último recurso (supplier of last resort). For electricity on the mainland this is SU Eletricidade. Around 817,000 homes were still on it in late 2025.

The regulated tariff was due to expire at the end of 2025 but has been extended to 31 December 2027. Any home on low-voltage supply with contracted power up to 41.4 kVA can choose it, and you can move back to it from the free market. ERSE's own price bulletins show that the cheapest free-market offers often undercut it, so treat the regulated tariff as a safe benchmark rather than the automatic best deal.

Natural gas works the same way. The regulated gas tariff is available to any consumer using up to 10,000 m³ a year (which covers every normal household), also until the end of 2027, and is sold by the last-resort gas supplier for your area.

You can compare every licensed electricity and gas offer, regulated and free, on ERSE's official simulator at simulador.precos.erse.pt. Enter your contracted power and rough monthly consumption and it ranks the offers. Use this rather than commercial comparison sites, which only list suppliers that pay them.

Before you start: documents, codes, and timing

Every provider asks for a similar core set. Gather these once and the whole process is quicker.

Two practical points. First, ask the landlord or seller for the most recent electricity and gas bills for the property: they carry the CPE and CUI, the contracted power, and a sense of typical consumption. Second, start as soon as the lease or deed is signed, not on moving day. Electricity can be live within days, but internet needs a technician appointment, and in the busy months (May to September) that can stretch to two weeks.

Electricity

Choosing a supplier and a tariff

The largest suppliers on the free market are EDP Comercial (the former incumbent, still the biggest), Galp, Endesa, Iberdrola, Goldenergy, and Repsol, along with smaller players such as Luzboa and the renewable cooperative Coopérnico. On the regulated market your supplier is SU Eletricidade. EDP and Endesa have English-language websites and support, and most suppliers let you sign up entirely online.

Whatever supplier you pick, you will make two choices:

Potência contratada (contracted power), measured in kVA. This sets how many appliances you can run at once and the fixed daily charge. The common levels are 3.45 kVA (small flat, gas cooking), 6.9 kVA (a typical flat or small house with electric hob and oven), and 10.35 kVA (larger house, air conditioning, or an electric car charger). If the main breaker trips when the oven and washing machine run together, you need a higher level; your supplier can change it later.

Tariff type. Tarifa simples (single rate) charges the same all day. Tarifa bi-horária (two-rate) is cheaper in the horas de vazio (off-peak hours, usually 22:00 to 08:00 on weekdays and all weekend) and dearer the rest of the time. Two-rate pays off if you can run the washing machine, dishwasher, water heater, or car charger overnight; otherwise stick with single rate.

For 2026, ERSE's regulated (transitional) tariff on the mainland is the benchmark everything else is measured against:

The average regulated bill rose by about 1 per cent in January 2026; ERSE's worked examples give EUR 36.82 a month for a couple without children and EUR 95.03 for a couple with two children. Free-market offers sit a few cents per kWh either side of these figures. Our electricity deep dive covers tariff choice, indexed versus fixed prices, and reading a bill line by line.

Step by step

1. Find the CPE on a previous bill or the meter, and decide your contracted power and tariff type.
2. Run the ERSE simulator with your consumption estimate and pick a supplier and offer.
3. Sign up online or by phone with your NIF, ID, address, CPE, IBAN, and a current meter reading. The supplier sends the activation order to E-Redes.
4. If the meter is a smart meter and the supply is simply switched off, E-Redes activates it remotely; the regulation requires remote activation whenever possible.
5. If a technician has to visit (older meter, or the meter needs to be fitted), E-Redes must offer an appointment within three working days of your supplier booking it, for straightforward jobs where you need to be present.
6. Check the app or your first bill for the correct CPE, tariff, and contracted power.

If the property has never had electricity, or has been disconnected for years, E-Redes may need a certificado de exploração (installation certificate) from a licensed electrician before it will connect, and a brand-new connection to the network is quoted separately and can take weeks. That is the exception; a normal flat with an existing meter is live within days.

E-Redes fees you may meet

Standard activation of an existing meter is ordered by your supplier and does not appear as a separate E-Redes line for most customers. The regulated 2026 prices you might see on a bill (before VAT) are:

No extraordinary reading charge applies to homes with a smart meter, because E-Redes reads it remotely. After a cut for non-payment, once you have paid, E-Redes must restore supply within 12 hours (counting only between 08:00 and midnight) or within four hours if you pay the urgent surcharge.

Typical costs

A one-bedroom flat using 150 to 200 kWh a month on a 3.45 kVA contract lands around EUR 35 to 55 a month including VAT. A two-bedroom home with an electric water heater is more often EUR 50 to 80. Electric heating in a Porto or Braga winter, or air conditioning in a Lisbon summer, can double that. Suppliers estimate consumption between readings unless you have a smart meter or submit readings in the app.

Tarifa social (social tariff)

Low-income households get a 33.8 per cent discount in 2026 on the regulated network part of the bill, on either market. You qualify if you receive one of the listed benefits (Complemento Solidário para Idosos, Rendimento Social de Inserção, unemployment benefit, first-tier Abono de Família, or the social old-age or invalidity pension), or if household annual income is EUR 6,272.64 or less, plus 50 per cent of that for each member without income, up to 10 members. The contract must be for your permanent home with contracted power of 6.9 kVA or less. DGEG checks eligibility automatically against tax and social security data; your supplier then notifies you and applies it unless you object within 30 days. The gas equivalent is a 31.2 per cent discount for households using up to 500 m³ a year.

Gas: piped natural gas and bottled gas

Portugal has two gas systems and your property will have one or the other. Piped gás natural (natural gas) reaches most urban areas and newer developments, including most of Porto, Lisbon, Braga, Coimbra, and Aveiro. Many rural homes and older buildings still use gás de garrafa or gás de botija (bottled butane or propane), and some homes have neither and are fully electric. Check which you have before you sign anything: a gas meter and a CUI on an old bill means piped gas; a cylinder in a kitchen cupboard or on the balcony means bottled.

Piped natural gas

The main free-market suppliers are Galp, EDP, Endesa, Goldenergy, and Iberdrola. On the regulated tariff, you contract with the last-resort supplier for your area (ERSE's website lists which one serves each municipality). Most people take electricity and gas from the same supplier for a small dual-fuel discount, but it is not required and the ERSE simulator compares gas offers too.

1. Find the CUI on a previous gas bill or on the meter.
2. Check whether the installation has a valid certificado de inspeção (gas inspection certificate). A new supply, or a supply that has been cut off, needs an inspection by a licensed inspector before the distributor will open the gas. Your supplier can arrange it; expect to pay a fee for the visit.
3. Sign up with NIF, ID, address, CUI, IBAN, and the inspection certificate.
4. The distributor activates the supply. The same regulation that governs E-Redes applies here: remote where possible, otherwise an appointment within three working days for simple jobs.

Typical costs: a household using piped gas for cooking and hot water pays around EUR 15 to 35 a month. If gas also runs the central heating, which is common in the North, winter bills of EUR 60 to 100 are normal. The regulated gas tariff was raised in October 2025 and ERSE proposed a further increase for the gas year starting October 2026, so expect movement on the unit price this autumn.

Our gas deep dive covers the inspection in detail, the regulated versus free-market gas prices, and what to do if there is no meter.

Bottled gas

For bottled gas there is no contract at all. Buy a full cylinder from a supermarket, petrol station, or a local distributor, or order home delivery from Galp, Repsol, or Rubis (often through a local agent). On your first purchase you pay a deposit for the cylinder itself; after that you swap the empty for a full one and pay only for the gas. Keep the receipt for the deposit.

A 13 kg butane cylinder costs a little over EUR 30 in 2026; ENSE's published reference price was EUR 34.03 in mid-2025 and cylinder prices rose again in spring 2026. One cylinder lasts four to eight weeks if used only for cooking, much less if it also heats water. Propane is used outdoors or in cold spots because butane will not vaporise well below about 0 °C.

Water

Water, sewage, and rubbish collection are billed together by your municipal water company, and you have no choice of provider. In the North that means Águas do Porto (Águas e Energia do Porto) in the city of Porto, Águas de Gaia, AGERE in Braga, Indaqua in several concelhos including Matosinhos, Vila do Conde, and Santo Tirso, and the câmara municipal or its serviços municipalizados elsewhere. Lisbon is served by EPAL. Search "[your concelho] água contrato" to find yours.

1. Contact the water company. Many now accept a new contract online or by email; some, including Águas do Porto, still ask you to visit a customer counter.
2. Provide ID, NIF, proof that you occupy the property (rental contract or deed), the current meter reading if you are taking over an existing supply, and your IBAN.
3. If you cannot go in person, the landlord or another occupant can sign a declaração de autorização (authorisation) for you.
4. Pay any contract or connection fee your municipality charges. Águas do Porto lists the contract as free; some councils charge a small registration fee or a deposit.
5. Allow up to two weeks for a new connection; taking over an existing, active supply is usually done on the spot.

Bills come monthly or every two months and have three parts: água (water), saneamento (sewage), and resíduos sólidos urbanos (waste collection), each with a fixed charge and a volumetric charge. Water is priced in escalões (tiers): the first few cubic metres are cheap and the price per m³ climbs steeply as you use more, which is meant to discourage waste. A two-person household using 8 to 10 m³ a month typically pays EUR 20 to 40; a family of four EUR 40 to 70. Tap water is safe to drink everywhere on the public network.

In some rentals the landlord keeps the water contract and recharges you, or the cost is included in the rent. Confirm which before you sign the lease.

Internet (and a note on mobile and TV)

Portugal has one of the highest fibre-to-the-home rates in Europe: more than 90 per cent of homes can get fibre and gigabit speeds are standard in towns and cities. The market has two tiers in 2026.

The three national operators, MEO (Altice), NOS, and Vodafone, sell fibre alone or in pacotes (bundles) with TV, landline, and mobile. Their headline prices assume a 24-month fidelização (loyalty period). Each also runs a low-cost online brand with three-month loyalty and no TV: UZO (MEO), WOO (NOS), and Amigo (Vodafone).

DIGI, the Romanian operator that launched in Portugal in 2025 after buying NOWO in August 2024, has pushed prices down sharply where its own fibre reaches. NOWO no longer sells under its own name and its customers are being moved to DIGI, so any advice recommending NOWO is out of date. DIGI's fibre is concentrated in the larger cities and along the coast; check the address on its website before you count on it.

Prices at July 2026, fibre only, including VAT:

Bundles with TV and one or two mobile lines from the big three run from roughly EUR 45 to 70 a month on a 24-month contract. DIGI's installation is free with a loyalty period and EUR 50 without one. The big three waive installation on 24-month contracts but charge for it on shorter ones; MEO's published price list, for example, shows an installation charge of up to EUR 280 with no loyalty period.

Loyalty periods: what the law says

Under the Lei das Comunicações Eletrónicas (Lei n.º 16/2022), the maximum loyalty period is 24 months and every operator must also offer the same service without one. If you leave early, the penalty is capped: no more than 50 per cent of the remaining monthly fees in the first year, 30 per cent in the second, and never more than the installation or equipment subsidy you actually received. An operator raising prices mid-contract must give at least one month's notice; if the rise is not one the contract already allowed for, you can cancel without penalty within 30 days. Your bill must show the loyalty end date.

If you are renting for less than two years, take a three-month or no-loyalty plan even if it costs a few euros more, or ask whether the property already has an active line you can take over.

Step by step

1. Check coverage for the exact address on the operators' sites. In older buildings the technician may need the landlord's or condomínio's permission to route a cable to your flat.
2. Choose a plan and book installation online or by phone, giving NIF, ID, address, and IBAN.
3. The technician visit is normally within one to two weeks; the installation takes an hour or two and the service is live before they leave.
4. Keep the confirmation email; it states the loyalty end date and the early-termination terms.

Mobile and TV in brief

Mobile SIMs come from the same operators plus DIGI and MVNOs such as Lycamobile. A prepaid SIM costs EUR 10 to 15 with credit, needs a passport or ID to register, and is the right choice for your first weeks; contract plans with 10 to 20 GB start around EUR 10 to 15 a month, and Portuguese SIMs roam across the EU at domestic rates. Free-to-air TV (RTP1, RTP2, SIC, TVI) works with a normal aerial; paid TV comes bundled with fibre, and the main streaming services all operate here.

Costs and timing at a glance

Budget EUR 130 to 200 a month for all four in a typical two-bedroom flat with piped gas, more with electric heating in winter.

Common problems

The supply is off and the previous contract was cancelled. This is normal when a tenant leaves. Sign up with a supplier as usual; the activation is simply an "ativação" rather than a change of supplier, and E-Redes will switch the meter on remotely or send a technician within three working days.

Bills keep coming in the previous tenant's name. Your new contract replaces theirs automatically for electricity and gas. For water, some municipalities need the old occupant to cancel first; ask the landlord to do it.

The supplier will not accept a foreign IBAN. Legally any SEPA IBAN should be accepted, but several suppliers' online forms only take PT IBANs. A Portuguese account (or a Portuguese IBAN from a digital bank) avoids the argument.

No Portuguese address proof yet. The rental contract or deed is enough. Once you have one utility bill in your name, it doubles as proof of address for the bank, Finanças, and the câmara, so keep the PDF.

Language. Electricity suppliers and the telecom operators have English-language support; water companies and gas inspectors usually do not. A Portuguese-speaking friend on the phone for the water contract saves time.

Paper bills. Most suppliers now default to electronic billing and some charge EUR 1 to 2 a month for paper. Choose electronic and set up the app.

After you are set up

Set up débito direto on all four. Late payment on electricity or gas triggers a pré-aviso (notice) and then a cut, and you pay the reconnection fees above to get it back.

Submit meter readings monthly if you do not have a smart meter, through the supplier's app, so bills are real rather than estimated. Check the E-Redes Balcão Digital (balcaodigital.e-redes.pt) if you want to see what E-Redes holds about your CPE and meter.

Electricity and gas contracts have no loyalty period, so re-run the ERSE simulator once a year or whenever prices move (regulated prices change each January for electricity and each October for gas). Switching supplier takes a few weeks, costs nothing, and does not interrupt supply.

When you leave the property, cancel each contract in writing with a final meter reading. Internet needs at least 30 days' notice and any remaining loyalty penalty; electricity, gas, and water can be closed from the date you hand back the keys. Do not simply stop paying: the debt follows your NIF.

Sources

• ERSE, Comunicado Tarifas e Preços para a Energia Elétrica em 2026: https://www.erse.pt/media/5dypdjby/comunicado-tarifas-ele_2026.pdf (1 per cent regulated increase, example bills, 817,000 regulated customers, 33.8 per cent social tariff)
• ERSE, Tarifas e Preços para a Energia Elétrica e Outros Serviços em 2026: https://www.erse.pt/media/irglmtt3/tarifas-e-pre%C3%A7os-se-2026.pdf (regulated tariff prices per kVA and kWh; 2026 E-Redes reconnection and extraordinary reading prices)
• ERSE, Tarifa Social na Eletricidade em 2026: https://www.erse.pt/media/02gh5y04/tarifa-social-eletricidade-jan2026.pdf (income threshold, benefits, 6.9 kVA limit, automatic application)
• ERSE, Tarifa Regulada de Gás Natural: https://www.erse.pt/consumidores-de-energia/gas/tarifa-regulada-de-gas-natural/ (10,000 m³ limit, availability to end 2027, last-resort suppliers)
• ERSE, price simulator: https://simulador.precos.erse.pt (comparison tool)
• Regulamento n.º 826/2023, Regulamento da Qualidade de Serviço dos Setores Elétrico e do Gás, Diário da República 2.ª série n.º 146, 28 July 2023: https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/2s/2023/07/146000000/0030400428.pdf (remote activation, three-working-day appointment, 12-hour and 4-hour reconnection deadlines)
• ANACOM Portal do Consumidor, Períodos de fidelização: https://www.anacom-consumidor.pt/faq-periodos-de-fidelizacao (24-month maximum, penalty caps, Lei n.º 16/2022)
• ANACOM Portal do Consumidor, Atualizações de preços em 2026: https://www.anacom-consumidor.pt/-/atualizacoes-de-precos-em-2026-o-que-deve-saber-sobre-o-seu-contrato-de-comunicacoes (notice and cancellation rules on price rises)
• gov.pt, Celebrar contrato com a Águas do Porto: https://www.gov.pt/servicos/celebrar-contrato-com-a-aguas-do-porto-para-pessoas-singulares (water contract documents, free of charge, in person)
• DIGI Portugal, Net de Fibra Óptica: https://www.digi.pt/net/ (DIGI prices, loyalty, installation fees)
• MEO, tarifários de fibra: https://conteudos.meo.pt/meo/Documentos/Tarifarios/Outros_fibra.pdf (installation charges by loyalty period)
• 4gnews, Internet fixa com melhor preço em Portugal em 2026 (8 July 2026): https://4gnews.pt/internet-fixa-melhor-preco/ (MEO, NOS, Vodafone, and low-cost brand prices, corroboration)
• Santander, Eletricidade no mercado regulado: https://www.santander.pt/salto/eletricidade-mercado-regulado (41.4 kVA eligibility, end 2027, right to return, corroboration)
• Pplware, Fim da Nowo (18 May 2025): https://pplware.sapo.pt/internet/fim-da-nowo-sim-tudo-tera-a-marca-digi/ (NOWO absorbed by DIGI)
• Selectra, preço da botija de gás: https://selectra.pt/energia/precos/botija-de-gas (ENSE reference price for 13 kg butane)

Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.