Electricity tariffs in Portugal: indexed prices, time bands and your bill
Information checked:
In this guide
Portugal’s wholesale chart can help you plan electricity use, but first check how your supplier converts market prices into your bill. “Indexed” does not always mean that moving consumption to the cheapest quarter-hour saves money. This guide covers household supplies in mainland Portugal, not Madeira or the Azores.
Identify both the price formula and the time option
There are two separate choices: how the energy price is set, and which tariff time bands apply. Simples has one band, bi-horária two and tri-horária three. On an indexed contract, a single band does not necessarily mean an unchanging market-linked energy price. Check the daily or weekly cycle as well. ERSE: choosing a contract and time option.
An interval-based indexed contract can reward moving consumption within the day. A contract using an average market reference does not necessarily charge your own consumption at each individual spot price. Ask for a worked invoice showing which readings, market averages and loss adjustments are used.
The regulated tariff is another comparison point; it is not a direct pass-through of every spot interval. Consult the current conditions for accessing it or an equivalent offer. ERSE: regulated electricity tariff.
Check meter integration, local time and upcoming schedule changes
EDP distinguishes an offer for meters integrated into the smart network from an average-market-price offer without that integration. Its page uses hourly terminology alongside a quarter-hour consumption formula. Before signing, confirm the actual billing interval and what happens if readings are missing; the physical presence of a digital meter is not sufficient evidence. EDP: indexed offers and formulas.
Use mainland Portuguese local time for appliance schedules. Always check the timezone printed on a market chart before copying an interval into a timer; market-source times and your local clock may differ. A highlighted wholesale low is not automatically your contracted vazio period.
Portugal has approved new tariff time bands, but household changes are not all effective in April 2027. For BTN supplies with two or three bands, implementation is phased from July to December 2027, with individual advance notice. Keep using your assigned schedule until the change applies to your supply. Directive 3/2026, articles 3 and 8.
Supplier examples: similar labels, different conditions
Checked on 11 September 2026. These are examples, not rankings. Request the current ficha de informação normalizada, full price formula and terms for your contracted power.
| Supplier or offer | How it differs | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| EDP indexed electricity | Meter integration affects the offered billing method; its formula includes losses, supplier factors and network access. | Verify interval versus average pricing, daily fixed costs and campaign conditions. EDP |
| Plenitude Tendência | Its current household page advertises market-linked energy, a fixed monthly management fee and no lock-in. | Get the signed formula and billing granularity; check maintenance services separately. Plenitude |
| Coopérnico | Existing BASE 2.0 and GO 2.0 customers are scheduled to move to COOPÉRNICO ÚNICO on 1 October 2026. | Compare the formula effective on your delivery date, other system costs and cooperative membership terms. Coopérnico’s dated announcement |
Do not assume the smallest advertised margin gives the smallest bill. One offer may apply a loss factor to a different base, another may recover costs through a monthly fee. Compare the same consumption profile and include the fixed cost of contracted power.
Worked example: energy and fixed charges before taxes
This invented example is not an EDP, Plenitude or Coopérnico quotation and is not a final invoice. Assume 200 kWh in 30 days, with a consumption-weighted wholesale price of €0.060/kWh. The 10% loss adjustment and all other amounts below are hypothetical, not regulated national rates. Assume no further multiplier on the wholesale component.
| Component | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale energy with losses | 200 × €0.060 × 1.10 | €13.20 |
| Supplier variable costs | 200 × €0.015/kWh | €3.00 |
| Energy network access | 200 × €0.040/kWh | €8.00 |
| Daily fixed supply charge | 30 × €0.300/day | €9.00 |
| Management subscription | Monthly assumption | €3.00 |
| Subtotal before taxes and levies | Sum of the listed components | €36.20 |
The daily charge is assumed to include the fixed network-access component; do not add it again. The subtotal is 18.10 ct/kWh, not the 6 ct/kWh wholesale input. Add the applicable taxes and levies to obtain an actual invoice total. Network access is payable in the free market too. Check social-tariff eligibility rather than assuming everyone pays identical tax and levy amounts. ERSE: price components and social tariff.
VAT is not one flat percentage on the entire Portuguese bill. For mainland supplies up to 6.9 kVA, the energy component normally has 6% VAT up to 200 kWh per 30 days, or 300 kWh for eligible large families; the excess has 23%. Thresholds are prorated by billed days, and fixed items have their own treatment. Check eligibility and the bill’s breakdown. ERSE: VAT explanation.
Compare savings using your own consumption
In the example’s simplified variable formula, a wholesale price of −1 ct/kWh becomes −1 × 1.10 + 1.5 + 4 = 4.40 ct/kWh before taxes, excluding fixed costs. A negative market interval therefore need not mean free electricity.
Suppose a single-band offer costs 20 ct/kWh, while a two-band offer costs 24 ct/kWh outside vazio and 12 ct/kWh in vazio. These are invented pre-tax retail rates, with identical fixed charges. For 200 kWh, the single-band energy cost is €40.00; splitting consumption equally gives €36.00 with the two-band offer. More than one-third of consumption must be in vazio to make its energy component cheaper. Moving 50 kWh from 24 to 12 ct/kWh changes that component by €6.00 before taxes.
Those calculations compare the contracted bands, not the colours on our wholesale chart. For interval-indexed billing, compare the full variable prices in the intervals you can actually use. A heater that must run on an expensive evening may outweigh savings from a dishwasher that can wait. Fixed fees do not disappear when consumption moves.
Before changing supplier
Use the ERSE comparison tool with your actual annual consumption, contracted power and time-band split. Treat an indexed forecast as a scenario, not a promise.
- Have your CPE, recent bills and interval readings ready; ask how missing readings are estimated and later corrected.
- Compare the daily power charge, monthly fee, variable formula and whether network access is already included.
- Check direct-debit and electronic-billing conditions, promotional expiry dates and optional services.
- Read any lock-in and early-exit conditions before accepting an offer; a free administrative switch does not automatically cancel a separate contractual obligation.
- If you have solar panels, assess the surplus-sale contract separately from imported electricity.
The new supplier handles the normal switch without a supply interruption. Check the effective date and final bill rather than cancelling the connection yourself. ERSE: supplier switching.
Make the chart useful without letting it dictate your day
Use verified prices to time flexible consumption only when your contract rewards it. Historical hourly analysis can reveal seasonal patterns; it cannot guarantee tomorrow’s cheapest interval. Avoid changing essential medical equipment or safe food storage for a small price difference.
For most households, the useful question is not “Which supplier has the lowest margin?” but “What would this complete contract cost with my consumption, and can I tolerate a more expensive month?” Recheck the linked conditions before deciding. This guide is educational, not a personal supplier recommendation or a final-bill calculator.