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Setting Up Natural Gas in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How to put piped natural gas in your name in Portugal: the CUI code, choosing a supplier or the regulated price, safety inspections, and bottled gas.

The Portugal Brief 10 min read

Setting Up Natural Gas in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You have rented or bought a home with piped natural gas and need a contract in your name.
  • You want to compare market offers with the regulated price, or switch supplier.
  • Your home has no piped gas and you want to know how bottled gas works.

Not for you if: you need electricity, water, and internet as well. Read Setting Up Utilities in Portugal for the overview.

Updated October 2026. The regulated price for natural gas rose by 6.4% on average on 1 October 2026, for the year to 30 September 2027.

To get piped natural gas in your name, you need the installation code (CUI) from an old bill or the network operator. Then you choose a supplier and sign with your tax number (NIF), ID, and bank details. Any household using up to 10,000 m³ a year can choose a market offer or the regulated price set by ERSE, the energy regulator. Switching is free and must be done within three weeks. A supplier cannot ask a household for a deposit, except after a cut for non-payment. If the home has no gas meter, you are not on the network: you use bottled gas or electricity.

How natural gas works in Portugal

Two companies are involved, as with electricity.

  • The network operator (operador da rede de distribuição) owns the pipes and the meter. It reads the meter and opens or reconnects the supply. You do not sign a contract with it.
  • The supplier (comercializador) signs your contract and bills you. Its prices are free, except for the regulated price.

The network operator depends on where you live. ERSE lists the operators on its website. The four largest are Lisboagás, Lusitaniagás, REN Portgás, and Setgás. Some smaller local networks are fed from tanks of liquefied natural gas brought by lorry.

The network does not reach every street. A gas meter on the wall or in a meter box, and a CUI on a previous bill, mean the home is connected. A gas cylinder in a cupboard or on the balcony means bottled gas.

Step 1: find the CUI

The CUI (Código Universal de Instalação) identifies your gas installation. It has 20 characters and always starts with "PT". The network operator gives it, and it stays the same whatever supplier you use. It appears on the contract and on every gas bill.

Ask the landlord or seller for a recent gas bill. It shows the CUI, the consumption tier, and typical use. If you cannot get one, contact the network operator for your area.

Step 2: check the safety inspection

Gas can only be supplied to an installation with a valid inspection statement (declaração de inspeção). A licensed gas inspection body (entidade inspetora de gás) issues it.

You do not need a new inspection just because you are a new customer or have changed supplier. That applies if:

  • there is a valid inspection statement approving the installation
  • no gas appliance or ventilation system has been replaced since
  • the supply was not cut for technical reasons

An extra inspection is needed after the installation is converted or altered, after a gas leak, or after a cut caused by a serious fault. Ask the landlord or seller for the inspection statement before you move in.

Step 3: choose a supplier or the regulated price

Market offers. Each supplier sets its own price. Some sell gas and electricity together in one "dual" contract. Compare offers on ERSE's free price simulator, then check the supplier's own page.

The regulated price. If you use up to 10,000 m³ a year, which covers normal homes, you can choose the regulated price. Contact the supplier of last resort (comercializador de último recurso) for your municipality. ERSE's website lists which one serves each municipality. The regulated price is planned to stay available until the end of 2027, reviewed each year.

ERSE's examples of average monthly bills on the regulated price from 1 October 2026, with taxes:

HouseholdUseAverage monthly bill
Couple, no children1,610 kWh a year€17.38
Couple, two children3,407 kWh a year€32.53

Before you accept any contract, the supplier must give you a contract summary (ficha contratual). It shows the services, any lock-in period, any extra services, the indicative prices, and how often you are billed.

Step 4: pick your consumption tier

Your bill depends partly on your consumption tier (escalão de consumo). You choose one of four:

TierYearly use
1up to 220 m³
2221 to 500 m³
3501 to 1,000 m³
41,001 to 10,000 m³

The previous bill shows the tier used at the address. After your first 12 months, and every year after that, the network operator checks whether your tier is right. If it changes, your supplier tells you.

Step 5: sign up

  1. Contact the supplier online, by phone, or in a shop.
  2. Give your name, NIF, ID, the address, the CUI, and your IBAN for direct debit.
  3. Give a meter reading, with a photo taken on the day you got the keys.
  4. Choose your tier and how you want to receive bills.
  5. The supplier asks the network operator to open or transfer the supply.
  6. Check your first bill for the right CUI, tier, and price.

Deposits. A supplier cannot ask a household for a deposit (caução) to sign a contract. It can only ask for one when it restores supply after a cut for non-payment.

Lock-ins. A gas contract can have a lock-in period (fidelização) only if you get a benefit in return. For consumers it cannot exceed 12 months, and it does not renew automatically. The contract must state the penalty for leaving early.

Changing your mind. If you sign online, by phone, or away from the supplier's premises, you can cancel within 14 days without a reason. If the contract was signed at your home, you have 30 days.

A home with no gas connection

If the street has gas but your home is not connected, ask the network operator for a quote. For homes using up to 10,000 m³ a year, the network operator builds the connection. The quote covers the branch pipe to your home and any new network needed, and must follow ERSE's rules.

First, the gas installation inside the home must be designed, certified, and inspected. Only a licensed gas installer (entidade instaladora de gás) can build, repair, or maintain it.

Your bill and meter readings

A gas bill shows your consumption tier, real and estimated use, the energy price, the network access charge, taxes, and the conversion factor. Meters measure cubic metres, but you are billed in kWh. The conversion factor turns one into the other, and the bill explains it. The bill also shows the number to call for faults and emergencies.

For homes using up to 10,000 m³ a year, the network operator must read the meter at least every two months. To avoid estimated bills, send a reading each month on the dates shown on your bill.

If the meter is not read for four months and you send no reading, the network operator arranges an extra reading, which you pay for. If you do not agree a date within 20 days of being told, the supply can be cut.

Old bills. The supplier must claim payment within six months of supplying the gas. If you underpaid, it has six months from that payment to claim the difference. You must raise this with the supplier yourself, preferably in writing.

For the parts of an energy bill line by line, see Understanding Your Energy Bill in Portugal.

Switching supplier

  1. Compare offers on ERSE's simulator.
  2. Sign with the new supplier. You do not need to cancel the old contract; the new supplier handles it.
  3. Your supply cannot be cut during the switch.
  4. The switch must be complete within three weeks of the new contract. It is free.
  5. The old supplier must send a final bill within six weeks.

If you are still in a lock-in, the old supplier can charge the penalty in your contract. If a supplier changes your contract, it must tell you at least 30 days ahead, and you can leave without penalty.

Periodic inspections and maintenance

Every gas installation in a home must be inspected periodically by a licensed inspection body:

  • Installed up to 21 August 2018: first inspection by 26 August 2028, or at 20 years old if that comes first.
  • Installed after 21 August 2018: first inspection at 10 years old.
  • After the first inspection: every five years.

The owner, or the usufructuary if there is one, arranges and pays for maintenance. The condominium pays for work in the shared parts of a building. A tenant pays only if the lease transfers that duty. Maintenance must be done by a licensed gas installer.

The social tariff for gas

If you qualify for the social energy tariff, you also get a discount on gas. For the year from 1 October 2026 it is 31.2% of the regulated price. Your yearly use must be 500 m³ or less, and the contract must be for your permanent home. The award is automatic. See Getting the Social Energy Tariff in Portugal.

Bottled gas

If your home is not on the network, you can use bottled gas (gás de garrafa, often called a botija). There is no contract.

  • Prices are free. They vary by seller, and delivery can cost extra. ERSE runs a price comparison for bottled gas on its website.
  • Swapping bottles. Sellers must accept an equivalent used bottle of any brand when you buy a full one. You pay no charge for the empty and no deposit on the full one, as long as you swap the same number.
  • Changing gas type or brand. Switching between butane and propane means changing the jets on your cooker. A new brand may need a new regulator.
  • Installation. Gas bottles at home should be installed by technicians recognised by DGEG, the energy directorate.

Bottled gas support. Until the end of 2026, the "Botija de Gás Solidária" scheme pays €25 per bottle on the mainland, up to two a month and 12 a year. It covers people on the social electricity tariff and households where someone receives certain benefits, such as the solidarity supplement for older people or social integration income. You claim at your parish council (junta de freguesia) with your receipt showing your NIF, your ID, and proof of the tariff or benefit. It ends early if the funds run out.

Some buildings have piped LPG (GPL canalizado) instead of natural gas. In a building, the supplier may be chosen by the owners' majority. The same 12-month lock-in limit and no-deposit rule apply.

If something goes wrong

  • You smell gas. Call the emergency number on your bill or meter box at once, or 112.
  • Cut for non-payment. The supplier must give you 20 days' written notice. After you pay or agree a payment plan, supply must return within 12 hours (the clock stops from midnight to 08:00), or four hours if you pay the urgent fee. Cuts for non-payment cannot happen on Fridays, weekends, public holidays, or the day before a holiday.
  • Complaints. Complain to the supplier first, then use the electronic complaints book (Livro de Reclamações) or contact ERSE.

For electricity, see Setting Up Electricity in Portugal. For water, see Setting Up Water in Portugal.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Prices and rules change; check the official source before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

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

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