Setting Up Utilities in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

• You have rented or bought a home and need electricity, gas, water, and internet in your name.
• You have a tax number (NIF) and a bank account, or will have them soon.
• You want to know whether the regulated energy price or a market offer suits you.

Not for you if: you do not have a tax number yet. Read Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal first.

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.

When you move into a home in Portugal, you open up to four contracts in your own name: electricity, gas, water, and internet. Each provider asks for your NIF, an identity document, and proof that you live at the address, such as your rental contract. Electricity can be live within 24 hours if the home has a smart meter. Water depends on your council's water company. Internet needs a technician visit. For energy, you choose between free-market offers and a regulated price set by the energy regulator, ERSE.

How utilities work in Portugal

Electricity and piped gas each involve two companies. The supplier (comercializador) signs your contract and bills you. The network operator owns the wires or pipes and the meter. On the mainland, the electricity network operator is E-Redes. You never contract with the network operator. Your supplier sends it the order to switch on, read, or reconnect your meter.

The regulated price. ERSE (Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos) sets regulated prices each year. You get them from the supplier of last resort (comercializador de último recurso). For electricity on the mainland, that is SU Eletricidade. For gas, it depends on your municipality. Regulated prices are due to stay available until the end of 2027.

• Electricity: any home on normal low voltage, with contracted power up to 41.4 kVA, can choose the regulated price. Ask your market supplier whether it offers a price equal to the regulated one. It must answer within 10 working days. If it does not offer one, you can move to the supplier of last resort with no loyalty penalty.
• Gas: any customer using up to 10,000 m³ a year can choose the regulated price. That covers normal households.

ERSE's price simulator (on erse.pt) compares the free-market offers for both. Your market bill also shows how much you would have paid on the regulated price.

Water is a municipal service. You cannot choose the provider. You sign up with the company or council department that serves your municipality (concelho).

Internet and phone is a competitive market. The communications regulator, ANACOM, sets the consumer rules.

Before you start: what to gather

Collect these once and every contract goes faster.

• Your NIF.
• An identity document: passport, citizen card, or residence card.
• Proof that you occupy the home. For energy, ERSE accepts a rental contract, a deed or other valid title, official documents, tax or social security documents, or another utility bill under three months old.
• A bank account (IBAN) for direct debit (débito direto).
• The electricity installation code (CPE). It is on any previous electricity bill for the address, and usually on the meter.
• The gas installation code (CUI), from a previous gas bill or the meter.
• Photos of the meter readings on the day you get the keys.

Ask the landlord or seller for a recent electricity and gas bill. It shows the codes, the contracted power, and typical use. Start as soon as you sign the lease or deed, not on moving day.

Old debts are not yours. An energy supplier cannot refuse you a contract because a previous occupant left unpaid bills, unless the change of name is clearly a way to avoid paying.

Bank accounts from other countries. If a provider refuses an account held in another SEPA country, the European Commission calls this IBAN discrimination. You can report it to the national authority. A Portuguese account avoids the argument. See Opening a Bank Account in Portugal.

Electricity

Choosing your contract

You make two choices with any supplier.

Contracted power (potência contratada), in kVA. This sets how many appliances you can run at once, and the fixed daily charge. ERSE's own examples use 3.45 kVA for a couple with no children and 6.9 kVA for a couple with two children. If the main switch trips when the oven and washing machine run together, ask your supplier for more power.

Tariff type. A single-rate tariff (tarifa simples) costs the same all day. A two-rate tariff (bi-horária) is cheaper in off-peak hours (horas de vazio) and dearer at other times. It pays off if you can run the washing machine, water heater, or car charger off-peak. Your contract states the off-peak hours.

Loyalty periods. Many energy offers have none, but some do. The contract must say so. If you leave early, any charge must be proportionate.

The regulated price for 2026

ERSE's regulated prices for homes on the mainland, from 1 January 2026, before taxes:

ERSE gives two examples of average monthly bills on the regulated price, with taxes. A couple with no children (3.45 kVA, 1,900 kWh a year) pays €36.82. A couple with two children (6.9 kVA, 5,000 kWh a year) pays €95.03. Market offers can cost more or less. Run the simulator with your own use.

Step by step

1. Find the CPE and decide your contracted power and tariff type.
2. Compare offers on ERSE's simulator and choose a supplier.
3. Sign up online, by phone, or in a shop. Give your NIF, ID, address, CPE, IBAN, and a meter reading.
4. Your supplier asks E-Redes to switch on the supply. With a smart meter, E-Redes must do this remotely, usually within 24 hours.
5. If a technician must visit, E-Redes must offer an appointment within the three working days after your supplier books it.
6. Check your first bill for the right CPE, tariff, and contracted power.

A home that has never had electricity needs a new connection. That is quoted separately and takes longer.

Network charges you may see

These are E-Redes' regulated prices for 2026 on the mainland, before VAT:

Homes with a smart meter that is read remotely never pay for extra readings.

After a cut for non-payment, you pay what you owe and your supplier tells E-Redes within 30 minutes. If a technician must come, E-Redes must arrive within 12 hours. The clock stops between midnight and 08:00. If you pay the urgent charge, the limit is four hours.

The social tariff (tarifa social)

Low-income households pay less, on the regulated price or a market offer. In 2026 the discount is 33.8% of the regulated price before taxes. You also pay no electricity consumption tax. Some groups get a partial discount on the audiovisual levy on the bill.

You qualify if you receive one of these benefits:

• the solidarity supplement for older people (complemento solidário para idosos)
• social integration income (rendimento social de inserção)
• unemployment benefit
• child benefit (abono de família)
• the social old-age or invalidity pension

You also qualify, without any benefit, if your household's yearly income is €6,272.64 or less. That figure rises by 50% for each household member with no income, including you, up to 10 people.

The contract must be for your permanent home, in your name, with contracted power of 6.9 kVA or less. DGEG, the energy directorate, checks who qualifies automatically each month. Your supplier then writes to you, and the discount applies unless you object within 30 days. See Getting the Social Energy Tariff in Portugal.

The full electricity detail is in Setting Up Electricity in Portugal.

Gas

Your home has piped natural gas, bottled gas, or no gas at all. A gas meter and a CUI on an old bill mean piped gas. A cylinder in a cupboard or on the balcony means bottled gas.

Piped natural gas

The regulated price. From 1 October 2026, ERSE's regulated gas prices for homes rose by 6.4% on average. ERSE's examples of average monthly bills, with taxes:

To get the regulated price, contact the supplier of last resort for your area. ERSE's website shows which one serves your municipality. Market offers vary, so compare them on the simulator first.

The inspection rule. The gas cannot be opened on a new installation until a licensed gas inspection body (entidade inspetora de gás) has inspected it and approved it. An extra inspection is also needed after the installation is altered or converted, after a gas leak, or after the supply was cut because of a serious fault. If the home already has a valid inspection certificate, you do not need a new one just because you are a new customer or changed supplier.

1. Find the CUI on a previous bill or the meter.
2. Ask the landlord or seller for the gas inspection certificate.
3. Sign up with your NIF, ID, address, CUI, and IBAN.
4. The gas network operator opens the supply, remotely where possible, or at an agreed visit.

Social tariff for gas. Households that qualify for the energy social tariff also get a discount on gas. It is 31.2% of the regulated price for the year from 1 October 2026. Annual use must be 500 m³ or less, for your permanent home.

More detail is in Setting Up Natural Gas in Portugal.

Bottled gas

Bottled gas needs no contract. You buy a cylinder at a shop, a fuel station, or a local dealer, and some dealers deliver. On your first purchase you usually pay a deposit for the cylinder. After that you swap empty for full and pay for the gas. Keep the deposit receipt. Prices vary by brand and seller, so compare locally.

Water

Water is supplied by your municipality, either through a council department, its municipal services (serviços municipalizados), or a company it appoints. Search your council's website for "contrato de água" to find yours.

What you bring is similar everywhere. Águas do Porto, for example, asks for:

• an identity document and your NIF
• proof that you occupy the home (deed, purchase agreement, or lease)
• the meter reading, if you are taking over an existing supply
• your bank account details, if you pay by direct debit
• a signed authorisation from the owner or landlord, if you cannot attend yourself

Águas do Porto signs contracts at its customer counters, and the contract is free. Other councils may work online, by email, or in person, and some charge a fee or deposit. Check your water company's own page.

Water bills usually also include sewage and waste collection, and the price per cubic metre usually rises in tiers as you use more. In some rentals the landlord keeps the water contract and recharges you, or includes water in the rent. Agree which before you sign the lease. See Setting Up Water in Portugal.

Internet, mobile, and TV

The main operators are MEO, NOS, Vodafone, and DIGI. MEO, NOS, and Vodafone sell fibre alone or in bundles (pacotes) with TV, landline, and mobile. Each also runs a cheaper online brand.

Prices change often. ANACOM's free comparison tool, COM.escolha, lists operators' plans for TV, fixed and mobile internet, and phone, with VAT included. Use it, then check the operator's own page.

As an example, DIGI's own prices for fibre on its network, with VAT, on 1 October 2026:

DIGI says installation takes 2 to 7 working days, where its own fibre reaches. Check your address on its site.

Your rights on loyalty periods (fidelização)

ANACOM's rules for consumers:

• The longest loyalty period allowed is 24 months.
• Operators must offer plans with no loyalty period. If they offer 6, 12, or 24 month periods, they must publish what each one gets you.
• A loyalty period must come with a benefit written into the contract, such as a discount or free installation.
• If you leave early, the charge cannot exceed the lower of two amounts. The first is the benefit you received, in proportion to the time left. The second is 50% of the remaining monthly fees in the first year, or 30% in the second year.
• Your bill must show when the loyalty period ends and what leaving would cost today.
• If you contracted online or by phone, you can cancel within 14 days without giving a reason.

Price rises. If an operator raises prices beyond what your contract allows, it must give you at least one month's notice. You then have 30 days to cancel at no cost.

Moving house. If your operator cannot give you the same or an equivalent service at your new address, you can cancel without any loyalty charge. Send the request in writing, with proof of your new address, at least 30 days ahead. The same applies if you emigrate, with proof such as a foreign work contract.

Step by step

1. Check fibre coverage for your exact address on the operators' sites.
2. Compare plans on COM.escolha and decide whether a loyalty period is worth it.
3. Book online or by phone with your NIF, ID, address, and IBAN.
4. Be home for the technician. In older buildings, the building management (condomínio) may need to allow cabling.
5. Keep the contract summary. It shows the loyalty end date and the cost of leaving early.

If you rent for a short period, a plan with a short or no loyalty period avoids paying to leave. See Setting Up Home Internet in Portugal.

Mobile. The same operators sell mobile plans, alone or with fibre. DIGI, for example, lists unlimited mobile at €6 a month for one number, or €5 with its fibre.

Switching and leaving

Energy. Switching supplier is free, there is no limit on how often, and the supply is not interrupted. The switch must happen within three weeks. You deal with your new supplier, and the old one must send a final bill within six weeks. ERSE changes regulated electricity prices each January and gas prices each October, so compare offers again then.

Telecoms. Cancel in writing. The operator must confirm within five working days and tell you the end date and any charges. Contracts usually require 15 or 30 days' notice. After a contract renews automatically at the end of its loyalty period, the longest notice you can be asked for is one month, at no cost. See Cancelling a Telecom Contract in Portugal.

When you move out, end each contract in writing and give a final meter reading. Do not just stop paying. Unpaid bills follow you.

Common problems

The power is off because the last tenant cancelled. That is normal. Sign up with any supplier. It orders an activation, which E-Redes does remotely or at a visit booked within three working days.

The supplier says the last occupant owed money. An energy supplier cannot refuse you for someone else's debt. Ask for the refusal in writing and contact ERSE if it persists.

The gas will not be opened. Usually the installation needs an inspection: it is new, was altered, or was cut for a safety fault. Ask the landlord for the inspection certificate, or book an approved inspection body.

You have no utility bill yet to prove your address. For energy, the lease or deed is enough. Once you have your first utility bill, keep it: it also works as proof of address elsewhere. When you move, see Changing Your Registered Address in Portugal.

The internet price went up mid-contract. Check the notice. If the rise was not allowed for in your contract, you have 30 days from the notice to cancel without charges.

Estimated bills. Without a smart meter, send readings through your supplier's app or website so you pay for what you use.

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

Sources

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

• ERSE, regulated electricity price: https://www.erse.pt/consumidores-de-energia/eletricidade/tarifa-regulada-de-eletricidade/ (available until end of 2027, up to 41.4 kVA, equivalent price, no penalty when moving to the supplier of last resort), checked 1 October 2026
• ERSE, regulated natural gas price: https://www.erse.pt/consumidores-de-energia/gas/tarifa-regulada-de-gas-natural/ (available until end of 2027, up to 10,000 m³, supplier of last resort by municipality, possible loyalty penalty), checked 1 October 2026
• ERSE, electricity retail and suppliers of last resort: https://www.erse.pt/eletricidade/funcionamento/comercializacao/ (SU Eletricidade; households on last-resort supply until 31 December 2027 under Portaria n.º 69/2025), checked 1 October 2026
• ERSE, press release on 2026 electricity prices (15 December 2025): https://www.erse.pt/media/5dypdjby/comunicado-tarifas-ele_2026.pdf (1.0% change, €36.82 and €95.03 example bills, 33.8% social tariff), checked 1 October 2026
• ERSE, electricity tariffs and prices for 2026: https://www.erse.pt/media/irglmtt3/tarifas-e-pre%C3%A7os-se-2026.pdf (regulated prices by kVA and kWh, E-Redes reconnection and extra reading prices, no reading charge with remote metering), checked 1 October 2026
• ERSE, social tariff for electricity in 2026: https://www.erse.pt/media/02gh5y04/tarifa-social-eletricidade-jan2026.pdf (benefits, €6,272.64 income line, 6.9 kVA, automatic award by DGEG, 30 days to object, consumption tax exemption, audiovisual levy discount), checked 1 October 2026
• ERSE, press release on natural gas prices for 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027 (1 June 2026): https://www.erse.pt/media/aipj3ub0/comunicado-decis%C3%A3o-tarifas-g%C3%A1s-2026-2027.pdf (6.4% rise, €17.38 and €32.53 example bills, 31.2% social discount), checked 1 October 2026
• ERSE, contracting and switching supplier (training guide, November 2024): https://www.erse.pt/media/j4dhfebu/erseforma_contrata%C3%A7%C3%A3omudanca_nov2024.pdf (proof of occupancy documents, previous occupants' debts, loyalty periods, free switching within three weeks, final bill within six weeks), checked 1 October 2026
• DGEG, social energy tariff conditions: https://www.dgeg.gov.pt/pt/areas-transversais/politicas-de-protecao-ao-consumidor-de-energia/tarifa-social-de-energia/quais-as-condicoes-de-atribuicao-da-tarifa-social-de-energia/ (6.9 kVA, 500 m³ for gas, income line, benefits), checked 1 October 2026
• DGEG, gas installations in buildings: https://www.dgeg.gov.pt/pt/areas-setoriais/energia/combustiveis/instalacoes-de-gas-em-edificios/ (inspection before supply, extraordinary inspections, no new inspection for a change of customer or supplier), checked 1 October 2026
• Diário da República, Regulamento n.º 826/2023 (quality of service in the electricity and gas sectors), 28 July 2023: https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/2s/2023/07/146000000/0030400428.pdf (remote activation within 24 hours, visit within three working days, 30-minute notice from supplier, 12-hour and 4-hour reconnection, clock paused midnight to 08:00), checked 1 October 2026
• ANACOM consumer portal, loyalty periods: https://www.anacom-consumidor.pt/faq-periodos-de-fidelizacao (24-month maximum, offers with no loyalty, 6, 12, and 24 months, early exit caps, bill information, under Lei n.º 16/2022), checked 1 October 2026
• ANACOM consumer portal, cancelling services: https://www.anacom-consumidor.pt/faq-cancelamento-de-servicos (five working days to confirm, notice periods, moving house, emigration, 14-day withdrawal), checked 1 October 2026
• ANACOM consumer portal, price updates in 2026: https://www.anacom-consumidor.pt/-/atualizacoes-de-precos-em-2026-o-que-deve-saber-sobre-o-seu-contrato-de-comunicacoes (one month's notice, 30 days to cancel at no cost), checked 1 October 2026
• ANACOM consumer portal, COM.escolha: https://www.anacom-consumidor.pt/faq-com.escolha (official comparison of telecom plans, prices with VAT), checked 1 October 2026
• European Commission, IBAN discrimination: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/consumer-finance-and-payments/payment-services/payment-services/iban-discrimination_en (definition and how to report), checked 1 October 2026
• gov.pt, water contract with Águas do Porto: https://www.gov.pt/servicos/celebrar-contrato-com-a-aguas-do-porto-para-pessoas-singulares (documents, in person, free), checked 1 October 2026
• DIGI Portugal, fibre internet: https://www.digi.pt/net/ (DIGI prices, loyalty, installation charges and times, mobile price), checked 1 October 2026
• ERSE, price simulator: https://www.erse.pt/simuladores/precos-de-energia/ (compares all free-market offers for electricity up to 41.4 kVA and gas up to 10,000 cubic metres a year), checked 2 October 2026

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