Energy Certificate in Portugal: What Buyers Need to Know

Every property sold or rented in Portugal needs an energy certificate (certificado energético). For a long time, many buyers treated it as a formality. That is changing: the EU’s revised buildings directive requires member states to improve the energy performance of their building stock step by step, with the worst-performing buildings first. For buyers, the energy rating is becoming a question of future costs, resale value and rentability, not just comfort. 

What is the energy certificate?

The certificate rates a property’s energy efficiency on a scale from A+ (very efficient) to F (inefficient). It is issued by a qualified expert (perito qualificado) registered with ADENE, the national energy agency, under the Building Energy Certification System (SCE, Decree-Law 101-D/2020). Besides the rating, it shows estimated energy needs for heating, cooling and hot water, and lists recommended improvement measures with their estimated cost and effect.

For UK buyers, it is the Portuguese counterpart of the EPC. In the US there is no national equivalent; the closest are the HERS index or an Energy Star rating, which are voluntary.

What changes with the EU buildings directive

The recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2024/1275 was published in May 2024, and member states had to transpose it into national law by 29 May 2026. Its key points for residential property:

• A national trajectory for homes: each country must reduce the average primary energy use of its residential buildings, by 16 % by 2030 and by 20–22 % by 2035, with at least 55 % of that reduction coming from renovating the worst-performing buildings.
• Minimum standards for non-residential buildings: the worst-performing offices, shops and similar buildings must be renovated by fixed deadlines.
• Zero-emission new buildings: from 2030 (public buildings from 2028).
• A common rating scale: certificates across the EU move to a harmonised A to G scale, with A for zero-emission buildings.
• Phase-out of fossil-fuel boilers by 2040, and no more public subsidies for standalone fossil boilers.

Portugal transposed part of the directive in February 2025 (Decree-Law 11/2025, limiting subsidies for fossil-fuel boilers). How the national trajectory for homes will be met, through incentives, renovation obligations or rental rules, is being set in the national transposition.

Why this matters for buyers: don’t buy too low

The directive does not oblige individual homeowners to renovate by a fixed date. But it obliges Portugal to improve exactly the part of the housing stock that is rated worst. Several EU countries have already turned this into concrete rules: France, for example, has banned new rentals of its lowest-rated homes since 2025, with the next class following in 2028. Whatever form Portugal chooses, a property at the bottom of the scale faces the most pressure.

In practice, that means:

• Renovation costs: a home rated E or F will likely need insulation, new windows or a new heating system at some point. Build these costs into your price, not your future.
• Resale and rental value: as rules tighten, buyers and tenants will pay more attention to ratings, and low-rated homes may become harder to sell or rent.
• Financing: banks increasingly price energy performance into their lending.
• Negotiation: a poor rating, with the improvement measures listed in the certificate, is a legitimate argument for a lower price.

Our advice: either buy a property with a reasonable rating, or buy a low-rated one only at a price that leaves room for the upgrade. A house inspection helps you estimate what is really needed.

When you need the certificate

• Sellers and landlords: as soon as the property is advertised, including online listings and holiday rentals. The rating must appear in the ad.
• Buyers: the certificate must be available at the deed. Ask for it before you make an offer.
• Owners: after major renovations, a new certificate shows the improvement.

The certificate stays with the property, not the owner. For homes it is generally valid for 10 years.

What determines the rating

• location and climate zone,
• year of construction and building type,
• insulation of walls, roof and floors, and the type of windows,
• heating, cooling and hot water systems,
• renewable energy such as solar panels or heat pumps.

Costs and fines

The cost has two parts: the ADENE registration fee, set by law and depending on the size of the home (from about €28 for a T0/T1 to about €65 for a T6 or larger, plus VAT), and the expert’s fee, typically €135 to €200 for apartments and €240 to €320 for larger houses.

Advertising, selling or renting without a valid certificate can be fined: from €250 to €3,740 for individuals and from €2,500 to €44,890 for companies.

How to get one

1. Find a qualified expert on the SCE platform.
2. Provide the tax record (Caderneta Predial), the land registry certificate (Certidão Permanente) and, if available, floor plans.
3. The expert inspects the property.
4. The certificate is registered with ADENE and usually issued within a few working days.

How to improve a rating

The energy certificate also gives you insights in the reports what needs to be done to increase the rating of the specific property.

• insulating walls, roof and floors,
• replacing single glazing with double or triple glazing,
• installing a heat pump instead of old electric heaters or gas boilers,
• adding solar panels or solar hot water.

We can connect you with partners for energy renovations.

How we can help

As buyer’s agents we check the energy certificate, estimate upgrade costs with partners and use the results in price negotiations. Book a free consultation.