Portugal surpasses the EU average in the use of renewable energies

Portugal has consolidated a clear advantage in the use of renewable energy in the European Union, with gains already being felt in electricity and final energy consumption. For those seeking practical decisions, the numbers help guide sensible choices at home and in building rehabilitation.

Portugal exceeds the EU average: essential data guiding smart choices

When looking at final energy consumption, the indicator that includes heating, transport, and electricity paints a more detailed picture. In 2024, according to consolidated data, the European Union is close to 25,2% from renewable sources in this consumption, slightly above 2023. Portugal, however, reached about 36,3%, placing it in 7th place among Member States and clearly above average.

In electricity, the advance is even more visible: renewables accounted for 47,5% of production-consumption in the EU as a whole in 2024, while Portugal surpassed the threshold of 65% thanks to wind, hydro, and solar energy. This electric leap reduces emissions and mitigates the impact of price crises, but it highlights a key point: space heating and mobility continue to weigh on the total energy used daily.

Where Portugal gains ground and what is still lacking

There are three drivers for this advantage: wind farms with good capacity factors, reservoirs with more flexible management, and a solar expansion that has found fertile ground in large power plants as well as residential rooftops. What is lacking? Accelerating the replacement of gas boilers with heat pumps, rehabilitating buildings with serious thermal insulation, and electrifying transport with support for smart charging.

Comparing to European leaders, useful references emerge. Sweden surpassed 60% of renewables in final consumption, with a strong presence of biomass, hydro, and wind. Finland follows the same line, and Denmark has consolidated nearly half of its consumption based on wind, solid biomass, and biogas. Conversely, countries like Belgium and Luxembourg have maintained values around 14–15%, underscoring the diversity of contexts and paths.

By 2030, the European target aims for 42,5% in gross final consumption, which implies an average increase of 2,9 percentage points per year between 2025 and 2030. For the reader, this translates into more opportunities for self-consumption, dynamic tariffs, and clean heating solutions at more competitive prices. The decision window is now open, not “later”.

In summary, the numbers send a clear signal: Portugal exceeds the EU average, but to reap the benefit in the comfort of your home, it is essential to transform percentages into concrete measures.

How to turn Portugal’s advantage into real savings in your home

The fact that electricity in Portugal is increasingly renewable creates a favorable context for reducing the bill without losing comfort. The trick is to tackle the thermal loads of the dwelling and align consumption with hours of higher solar and wind production. In both new and old homes, the opportunities are clear and cumulative: each right decision pulls the next one up.

Step by step of high impact (and low regret)

Start by getting to know your building: air leaks, misaligned windows, and thermal bridges are “holes” through which money escapes. Next, anticipate the migration to high-efficiency heat pumps, which heat and cool using half or a third of the energy of old solutions. Finally, prepare the roof for solar photovoltaic and, when possible, complement with solar thermal for hot water.

• 🏠 Smart insulation: ceiling, walls, and shutter boxes. Prioritize what gives the greatest reduction in heat loss.
• 🪟 Efficient windows: double/low-emissivity glass and airtight frames; shades and shutters for summer shading.
• 🔥 Heat pump: sized by thermal calculation, with climate curve and zone thermostats.
• ☀️ Solar PV: 3–6 kWp in typical houses; use microinverters if there are partial shadows.
• 🔌 Load management: schedule washing machines, water heaters, and EV charging for hours of local surplus.
• 📱 Smart control: real-time monitoring, alerts, and simple automations.

Practical example with clear numbers

In a semi-detached house of 120 m², replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump (seasonal COP ~3.5), insulating the ceiling, and installing 4 kWp of PV, reductions of 40–60% in annual energy costs are common. The initial investment is divided: insulation and airtightness provide stable and immediate returns in comfort; the heat pump reduces emissions and simplifies maintenance; PV aligns consumption with local generation, especially if paired with a controlled resistance water heater to “store” sun in hot water.

There are mistakes to avoid. Oversizing the heat pump raises costs and short cycles; positioning photovoltaic modules without studying shadows reduces production; ignoring airtightness nullifies part of the insulation gains. A brief energy audit resolves these points and clarifies priorities. If considering a home battery, first exhaust passive measures — “unconsumed kWh” is always the cheapest.

Portugal already offers tariffs with reduced cost hours and mechanisms for collective self-consumption. Taking advantage of these tools multiplies the effect of measures in the building. The goal is not to fill the house with technology, but rather to orchestrate simple solutions that work with you and with the grid.

The final message of this section is straightforward: with a phased plan and a focus on the thermal envelope, the benefit of Portugal’s renewable mix reaches your home with predictability and common sense.

Efficient construction and rehabilitation: passive architecture strategies that work in Portugal

In a country with hot summers and humid winters, designing and rehabilitating for passive comfort is a multiplier of efficiency. The renewable energy that comes through the grid helps, but it is the design of the building that dictates whether it needs much or little heating and cooling. The good news: sensible solutions based on construction physics fit both in new builds and phased rehabilitations.

Envelope, shading, and ventilation: the trio that prevents waste

A well-cared envelope begins with continuous insulation, reducing thermal bridges in beams, pillars, and window openings. In climates like Lisbon, well-dimensioned shading (eaves, brises, shutters) cuts unwanted solar gains in summer and allows sunlight in during winter when it’s needed. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) ensures fresh air without “throwing away” energy, mitigating dampness and mold.

Windows deserve attention: low-emissivity glass, solar factor adapted to orientation, and frames with good airtightness. The golden rule is simple: “insulate and seal before conditioning.” When the building requires less energy, any heating/cooling system can be smaller, cheaper, and more efficient.

Materials and solutions with Portuguese identity

There is value in locally sourced low-impact materials. Cork offers thermal and acoustic insulation with excellent hygrothermal performance. Lightweight concretes with recycled aggregates, laminated woods, and plant fiber panels (like hemp) compose robust and healthy solutions. In rehabilitation, lime plasters help regulate humidity, improving comfort without sealing the “breathing” of the walls.

Realistic example: an apartment from 1970 in Porto, with single windows and uninsulated walls, can reduce heating needs by more than 50% by combining interior insulation with high-performance plasterboards, efficient windows, and decentralized MVHR. A well-calibrated air-to-air heat pump complements the set, taking advantage of the cleaner electricity available in the grid.

By focusing on passive architecture, your project becomes less vulnerable to energy price fluctuations. And, of course, gains silent comfort: less drafts, less thermal swings, better quality of life.

If you are just starting, a simple priority matrix helps: first envelope, then systems, and finally automation. This order reduces total costs and avoids hasty purchases. Throughout this journey, resources like Ecopassivehouses.pt gather practical ideas and references for comparing solutions, without noise or easy promises.

Practical advice to close the theme: the most efficient square meter is the one that doesn’t need to be conditioned. Everything else is detail.

Energy communities and collective self-consumption: from each one’s roof to the strength of all

Portugal now has rules that allow energy produced to be shared among neighbors, condominiums, and small businesses. This sharing — known as collective self-consumption and energy communities — unlocks projects that, individually, wouldn’t make sense. Having several rooftops working together improves production, reduces losses, and strengthens neighborhood resilience.

How it works in practice and why it’s worth it

Imagine a set of three buildings with distinct roof areas. By linking these rooftops into a single “community”, solar production matches the aggregated consumption profile: fewer excesses at low prices and more self-consumption, where the value is higher. Add a management framework that prioritizes flexible loads — elevators, pumps, common lighting, and vehicle chargers — and the system balances itself almost automatically.

From a legal and technical perspective, the “managing entity” simplifies the relationship with the grid operator. Meanwhile, smart meters handle hourly accounting so that each participant receives their corresponding share of energy, without confusion. The result is a reduction in operational costs and greater predictability in condominium accounts.

To start with confidence, follow a realistic roadmap: diagnose consumption, evaluate rooftops, study shadows, apply production simulators, and only then close the budget. Transparency in the sharing model is non-negotiable — it avoids conflicts and retains participants.

In neighborhoods with street-level commerce and housing on upper floors, synergy is particularly strong: stores consume more during the day, when the sun shines; residents benefit on weekends. Small schedule adjustments, such as scheduling water pumps or charging electric bikes, increase the self-consumption rate by valuable percentage points.

Key message: the cheapest energy is the one consumed directly by your collective. Everything else — sales of excess, tariffs — is complementary.

Grid, storage, and smart charging: leveraging wind and sun without waste

The integration of wind, hydro, and solar at a high percentage requires a more flexible grid and consumers more attuned to the clock. Three tools change the game: dynamic tariffs, storage, and load management. Together, they convert production peaks into cheap comfort and reduce generation cuts due to excess (“curtailment”).

Dynamic tariffs and the power to adjust schedules

With smart meters, it is possible to pay less when there is more wind and sun in the system. Scheduling the heat pump to pre-heat the house before peak evening hours, heating water between 12 PM and 4 PM, and charging the electric vehicle in the early morning are decisions that reduce the bill effortlessly. Some retailers already offer simple hourly signals that are easy to understand and apps that suggest the best times for each load.

For those who work from home, shifting laundry and drying tasks to “solar hours” can save euros every month. On windy winter days, the effect multiplies, as wind dominates production. With clear rules, there’s no need to “live for the tariff”; a few automatic schedules are sufficient.

Domestic storage, thermal storage, and electric mobility

Not all storage is done in lithium batteries. A robust water heater is, in practice, a thermal battery: it heats when energy is cheap or self-generated and “returns” comfort during the evening shower. In homes with PV, this eliminates import peaks and increases the self-consumption rate. Where electric batteries make sense, size them to cover the period between late afternoon and early evening; avoiding oversizing is half the battle to keep healthy returns.

Electric vehicles add a promising layer. Charged during low-price windows, they stabilize the home’s daily curve. As V2G (vehicle-to-grid) solutions mature, the car can return some kilowatt-hours to the home in critical moments, with protective rules for the battery. In the Portuguese context, with strong variable renewables, this domestic “elasticity” is gold.

To have an actionable plan, try the following: choose a tariff with clear hourly discrimination, set water heating between 12 PM and 4 PM, schedule the EV to start charging at 2 AM, and use a smart plug to shift dehumidification to sunny mornings. Within a few weeks, consumption adapts to the rhythm of the grid without loss of comfort.

Practical rule to remember: aligning schedules with sun and wind is half the efficiency; the other half starts with insulation. A lightweight home of low consumption transforms Portugal’s clean energy into accessible comfort every day.

Source: www.idealista.pt