In January, renewable sources accounted for 80.7% of electricity in mainland Portugal, marking the best performance in the last nine months. This energy shift has direct reflections on your accounts, the comfort of your home, and the way you plan works and equipment.
| Short on time? Here’s the essential: ⚡ |
|---|
| ✅ 80.7% of renewable electricity in January, 2nd in Europe, only behind Norway (96.3%) and ahead of Denmark (78.8%) 🌍 |
| ✅ Hydro 36.8% and wind 35.2% led; solar contributed 4.4% ☀️💨💧 |
| ✅ Average MIBEL price: €71/MWh, down 26.6% compared to last year; 210 hours 100% renewable ⏱️ |
| ✅ How to take advantage: schedule equipment, dynamic rates, pre-heating with heat pump, and smart EV charging 🚗🔌 |
Renewable sources account for 80.7% of electricity in January: important data and what it means for you
The numbers are clear: from January 1 to 31, total production reached 5,479 GWh, with 4,420 GWh from renewable sources. This is the highest level of incorporation since spring 2025, following the Iberian blackout that lasted more than ten hours and exposed the fragility of a network highly dependent on demand peaks and volatile fossil sources.
In this picture, hydro accounted for 36.8% and wind 35.2% of all electricity, while solar contributed 4.4%. The weather context, with the passage of several Atlantic depressions, brought abundant rain and wind. This scenario, although it caused localized damage and interruptions, favored renewable production at scale.
Domestic consumption also rose: +8.3% compared to previous months, reflecting cold, heating, and increased use of lighting. Nevertheless, imports accounted for only 5.6% of consumption, a restrained figure thanks to renewable volume. In terms of prices, the Iberian Electricity Market settled at €71.0/MWh, a 26.6% drop year-on-year. When renewable supply increases, marginal cost decreases and the entire economy benefits.
There were also 210 non-consecutive hours in which green production fully covered national demand. These are ideal “windows” for those with variable rates and load management systems: heating water, pre-heating rooms, charging home batteries and electric vehicles when energy is cleaner and cheaper. According to sector estimates, the renewable boost saved about €703 million compared to a scenario dominated by natural gas plants.
In the examined European landscape, Portugal rose from its usual fourth to the second position, only behind Norway (96.3%) and ahead of Denmark (78.8%). More than a “record,” this behavior indicates the maturity of the national renewable mix and points the way for more efficient buildings, prepared to interact with the grid and reduce the bill.
For a home, this translates into concrete opportunities: scheduling equipment during green hours, adopting heat pumps, and enhancing insulation to cut consumption peaks. The result? More stable comfort and energy used wisely. In summary: when the grid is cleaner, your home can and should be smarter.
How to take advantage of peaks in green electricity: practical strategies for your home
Periods with plenty of rain and wind are authentic “bonuses” for the home. Electricity becomes cleaner and, at times, cheaper. How to turn this into savings and comfort? The secret is to sync flexible consumption with times of high renewable production.
Start with dynamic or bi-hourly rates. If your retailer offers prices linked to MIBEL, it’s worth comparing and scheduling consumption. Even on fixed rates, there are campaigns with “super-valid hours” that align with windy days. Simple tools, such as smart plugs and heat pump controls, help automate without complications.
An effective routine involves pre-heating rooms in the late afternoon when the wind tends to pick up, and heating water for baths earlier, storing energy as heat. With electric vehicles, schedule charging from midnight to early morning, when wind often dominates and rates drop. The management of home batteries (if you have them) should prioritize charging during green hours and discharging during peak hours.
Effective winter routines
Consider the example of the Silva Family, in a T3 with a heat pump and a 200-liter tank. On windy days, they set the thermostat to increase by 1 ºC between 6 PM and 9 PM, reducing power afterward. The tank heats water between 2 AM and 4 AM. The washing machine starts at 11 PM, and the dishwasher at 1 AM. The car charges between 12:30 AM and 5:30 AM. The result is a consumption profile aligned with renewable production and a lower bill without loss of comfort.
- 🌬️ Anticipate heat: use the heat pump during windy hours to store energy as thermal comfort.
- 🕒 Automate: timers and smart plugs maintain daily discipline.
- 🚿 Hot water during green hours: schedule the water heater or heat pump AQS early in the morning.
- 🚗 Charge the EV outside peak hours: set nighttime windows with a higher likelihood of wind.
- 📊 Monitor: consumption apps help verify the impact and optimize.
Why does this work? A simple question: when there is plenty of renewable, the marginal price drops and carbon intensity declines. Syncing with the grid is using the “energy tide” to your advantage. In the end, efficiency is also common sense applied every day.
Passive architecture and self-consumption: making your home an ally of the 80.7% renewables
The green peaks of January show how the grid evolves. But the home also plays an active role. Buildings with passive principles — good insulation, air tightness, heat recovery ventilation, effective shading — reduce energy needs and turn any green kilowatt into lasting comfort.
The right design starts with solar orientation and control of thermal gain. In Portugal, south-facing glass, adjustable shading, and balanced thermal mass decrease heating peaks in winter and cooling peaks in summer. With fewer losses, your heat pump works less time and can concentrate effort during clean energy windows, just like those in January.
Smart sizing of self-consumption
Solar energy represented 4.4% of the mix in the analyzed month, but on the roof of a house, that percentage can be much higher. A photovoltaic system of 5 to 6 kWp on well-oriented roofing covers a large part of the baseload and powers the heat pump during sunny hours. Combine with a 7 to 10 kWh battery to shift part of the production to nighttime, and you will have room to get through the high-price hours or activate backup during short grid failures.
Take the case of the “Casa do Vale,” a 120 m² house with reinforced wood fiber insulation, triple-glazed windows, and 85% heat recovery ventilation. With 6 kWp of PV and a 10 kWh battery, the house can operate critical loads — lighting, communication, hot water circulation, and refrigerator — for several hours. On windy winter days, the family prioritizes the heat pump and charges the battery during green hours, reducing imports during peak nighttime.
Healthy materials and real performance
In a rehabilitation, natural materials — cork, natural hydraulic lime, clays — improve hygrometric comfort and air quality. Combined with efficient frames and treated thermal bridges, they cut energy needs without tricks. Technology (PV, batteries, HEMS) is great, but the basis is an envelope that needs little energy. When January arrives with rain and wind, the house responds with thermal stability and predictable bills.
The equation is simple: less need + better synchronization = greater benefit from renewable electricity. Passive houses and self-consumption are not a trend; they are a solid energy strategy.
Economic impact for the consumer: MIBEL, bills, and worthwhile investments
With the average price at €71/MWh and a year-on-year drop of 26.6%, January showed how renewables mitigate the bill. If you have an indexed tariff, the savings are immediately noticeable. If you have a fixed tariff, the benefits come more slowly, via price revisions and greater competition among retailers. In both cases, the path is favorable to those who adjust consumption and invest in efficiency.
Another relevant data point: the renewable incorporation allowed for an estimated savings of €703 million compared to production with natural gas. This reduces pressure on markets and the risk of price shocks. For you, it translates to a shorter ROI for heat pumps, photovoltaics, and, in many cases, EVs with a favorable night tariff.
To understand the January snapshot, see the breakdown of sources and market behavior summarized below.
| 🌱 Source | 📈 Share | ⚡ Generation | 📝 Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydro 💧 | 36.8% | — | Utilization of floods and reservoir management |
| Wind 💨 | 35.2% | — | Atlantic depressions sustained nighttime production |
| Solar ☀️ | 4.4% | — | Greater impact on daytime self-consumption |
| Others/support 🔌 | — | — | Imports 5.6% of consumption when necessary |
| MIBEL 💶 | Average price | €71/MWh | Drop of 26.6% year-on-year |
| 100% renewable hours ⏱️ | 210 hours | Good windows for scheduling consumption | |
Practical examples? In houses with heat pumps, hourly management can reduce costs by 10–25% without changing equipment. In apartments, scheduling hot water and washing/dishwashing machines generates noticeable impact. And if you’re considering PV, remember: on windy winter days, the wind “pays” part of your night; in summer, the sun “pays” part of your day. It’s the portfolio effect working in your favor.
Key message: the lower marginal cost of renewables is an opportunity; with the right choices, it translates into real gains.
Resilience and future: from the 2025 blackout to 210 hours 100% renewable and what this requires from homes
The blackout in April 2025 reminded us that the robustness of the system is as important as cheap energy. Recent January showed the other side: 210 hours when renewables covered everything. Between extremes, there is a common denominator — homes prepared for resilience, with adjustable consumption and defined priorities for potential outages.
Start with a critical load panel, separating essential lighting, communications, refrigerator, hot water circulation, and some strategic points for sockets. If you have a battery, ensure that the inverter has an island/backup function. An efficient heat pump, combined with good insulation, maintains comfort for longer with little energy, allowing you to endure short interruptions calmly.
Energy communities and solar neighborhoods add a layer of stability, sharing surpluses and reducing local peaks. When the grid offers 80.7% clean electricity, these arrangements help absorb excessive production and distribute benefits. It’s the same logic of the efficient house, scaled up to the neighborhood level.
Resilience checklist for the home
- 🔋 Backup battery and identified critical load panel.
- 🏠 Robust thermal envelope: insulation, frames, and infiltration control.
- 🌐 Monitoring of consumption and production, with simple alerts.
- 🔥 Heating plan with pre-heating during green hours.
- 👥 Neighborhood network: sharing information and support during extreme events.
To conclude this idea: stability + efficiency + flexibility form the triangle of the home prepared for the present and the renewable future.
If you want to take a step today, adjust a timer: set the water heating for early morning and schedule your equipment for windy hours. And when planning improvements, consider the basics that work — insulation, shading, heat pump and, when it makes sense, photovoltaic with smart management. For more practical ideas and inspiring projects, explore Ecopassivehouses.pt. A simple choice, repeated every day, changes the energy of your home.
Source: eco.sapo.pt
