Should service standards not be met and power outages exceed the defined duration or maximum number, consumers are entitled to automatic compensation, according to DECO PROTeste.
“Technical failures, maintenance operations of the electricity grid, or overload at certain points can cause disruptions in the supply of electricity. However, if outages or their duration exceed service quality standards, electricity distribution network operators may need to compensate consumers,” explained the consumer protection organization.
However, “situations such as a blackout, as occurred in Portugal and Spain in April 2025, leaving both countries without electricity, can be considered a fortuitous incident of great impact or an exceptional event. This means that there is no right to compensation, since there was nothing the electricity distributors could have done to prevent the power failure.”
What are service quality zones?
According to DECO PROTeste, “service quality zones are locations where electricity distribution network operators must ensure certain service quality standards“, varying according to specific geographic areas and their number of customers.
In Portugal, there are three service quality zones:
- Zone A: district capitals and locations with more than 25,000 customers;
- Zone B: locations with a customer number between 2,500 and 25,000;
- Zone C: remaining areas.
“Depending on the zone a residence is in, the distribution network operators must ensure that the number of service interruptions does not exceed a specified duration or number per year. If power outages surpass the maximum level in each zone, the distributor must compensate the client in the following year,” noted the consumer protection organization.
The consumer protection organization also notes that the “customer’s electricity bill must state which service quality zone they belong to.”
Consumer compensation process is automatic
It is important to know that the consumer compensation process is automatic, meaning “there is no need, for instance, to file a complaint to be compensated by operators for any power outages exceeding the maximum number defined for their zone.”
However, there are cases where compensation is not automatic and the consumer must submit a formal claim for damages. DECO PROTeste explains the situations where this applies:
- damages to electrical appliances (e.g., appliances damaged due to power surges or sudden cuts);
- deterioration of food caused by long interruptions in the operation of refrigerators or freezers;
- damage to other domestic installations directly related to the interruption of electricity supply.
Is there any deadline?
The consumer protection organization clarifies that “compensations are automatically calculated by ERSE” and “if there is any value to credit due to a drop in service quality level in a given year, this will be reflected in a bill from your supplier in the first half of the following year“.
