Customers benefiting from the natural gas social tariff will be able to replace their water heater with a 75% subsidy

The “Water Heater Replacement” programme has just been launched, offering economically vulnerable consumers within the Portgás's concession area the opportunity to apply for a 75% subsidy for the installation of an efficient water heater. This initiative is funded under the 7th edition of the Energy Consumption Efficiency Promotion Plan (PPEC), approved by the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE). PPEC supports projects that contribute to greater energy efficiency and, for the first time, includes measures for natural gas consumption efficiency.

In its first participation in the PPEC, Portgás prioritised the most vulnerable natural gas consumers. The “Water Heater Replacement” programme aims to provide customers benefiting from the natural gas social tariff, and having an active contract, with special conditions for replacing inefficient water heaters, installed for over 8 years, with new, safer, and highly efficient equipment. The approved measure envisages the replacement of 2,100 water heaters, with a value of 685,125.00 euros subsidised by the PPEC.

Portgás is a natural gas distributor, and its concession covers 29 municipalities in the districts of Porto, Braga, and Viana do Castelo, where over 15,000 customers are registered with the social tariff. Eligible customers must submit their application through the website www.trocadeesquentadores.pt, where all information about the initiative is available. To ensure extensive dissemination of this initiative, Portgás is coordinating with local authorities the delivery, via post, of a communication to consumers covered by the natural gas social tariff, along with an information leaflet detailing the benefits of the campaign.


About the Energy Consumption Efficiency Promotion Plan (PPEC)

Promoted by the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE), it is a support and incentive programme for implementing measures to enhance energy consumption efficiency. The programme assesses candidate measures based on merit, considering, among other criteria, the level of savings they can achieve. This edition is the first to encompass the natural gas sector.

About Portgás
Portgás is the public service concessionaire for gas distribution in 29 municipalities across the districts of Porto, Braga, and Viana do Castelo. It is a company fully owned by REN – Redes Energéticas Nacionais, since October 2017. Portgás's main activity is the development and operation of the distribution network, an infrastructure on which various market suppliers provide gas to their customers.

Portgás currently serves over 406,000 customers connected to its network, making it the largest distributor in network size (approximately 6,500 km), serving over 26% of the country’s customers, who represent a consumption of 30% of the gas distributed in Portugal.