Beginning this Tuesday, September 30, applications are open for the E-Lar program, aimed at “accelerating decarbonization and reducing energy bills,” as stated by the government. The program finances the replacement of up to three gas appliances with efficient alternatives, and the support can reach up to 1,683 euros per family.
“Please be informed that the application form for the E-Lar notice will be available starting at 11:00 am on September 30,” as stated on the Environmental Fund’s website.
In practice, the E-Lar provides support in the form of a voucher for the replacement of gas stoves, ovens, and water heaters with electric hobs, ovens, and water heaters of at least energy class A.
Upon the program’s introduction, the Ministry of Environment shared a communication containing questions and answers about the program. Here we recall the essentials.
Explainer
1 – Who can apply for E-Lar?
“The E-Lar Program is open to beneficiaries of the More Sustainable Neighborhoods Program (Group I), beneficiaries of the Social Electricity Tariff (Group II), and all those who have an electricity supply contract (Group III).”
O E-Lar has 40 million euros to support the replacement of gas stoves, ovens, and water heaters with electric hobs, ovens, and water heaters of at least energy class A. Know everything about this program.
2 – Where and when are applications submitted?
“For candidates as suppliers of the E-Lar network, applications open on August 18, 2025. For final beneficiaries, applications open on September 30, 2025. In both cases, applications can be made on www.fundoambiental.pt, where the forms and the program regulations can be found.”
3 – How does the Program work?
“The process is very simple. The final beneficiary only needs to fill out the application on the Environmental Fund’s portal, provide the requested information, and wait for the E-Lar voucher to be issued. Then, they go to one of the network suppliers, whose list is also available on the portal. No payment is required unless the chosen equipment exceeds the reference value established in the Program.”
Applications for the E-Lar program start at the end of this month, but DECO PROTeste warns that replacing some gas appliances with the electric equipment promoted by the program may be more expensive for consumers. Understand the implications.
4 – Is there a need to wait for any reimbursement?
“The E-Lar Program is designed to minimize bureaucracy. The consumer only needs to present the voucher and choose the equipment. The payment of the support will be made by the Climate Agency (ApC) directly to the Network supplier.”
5 – What are the responsibilities of the E-Lar network supplier?
“Besides presenting the equipment covered by the Program, E-Lar network suppliers must confirm the correspondence between the taxpayer ID (NIF) presented by the beneficiary with the application approval document, block the voucher used on the Environmental Fund platform, issue the invoice to the beneficiary (with a description of the appliance(s) purchased, energy class, and additional services provided). They should also promote the delivery, installation of new equipment, and collection of old ones within a maximum period of 30 days from the voucher usage date, and gather photographic evidence of the entire process, including directing the replaced equipment to appropriate recycling centers.”
6 – What type of equipment can be replaced?
“Gas stoves, ovens, and water heaters can be replaced with equivalent electric equipment of at least energy class A.”
7 – Does the voucher have a deadline?
“Once issued, the voucher must be used within a maximum period of 60 days.”
8 – Are the allocated amounts the same for everyone?
“The amounts vary depending on the group to which the beneficiaries belong. More vulnerable individuals receive higher support, which can go up to 1,683 euros. In other cases, the support is a maximum of 1,100 euros.”
9 – Can the E-Lar be used to replace end-of-life electrical equipment?
“The Program’s goal is to encourage families to actively contribute to the decarbonization process, so only gas equipment replacements will be accepted.”
10 – Who is responsible for recycling the replaced equipment?
“Recycling is the obligation of the new equipment supplier, who must collect the replaced appliances on-site and direct them to a suitable recycling center.”
11 – What type of inspection exists?
“The beneficiary of the E-Lar Program may be subjected to an inspection by competent services to verify that the equipment exchange was carried out as expected. They must also keep the invoice with the description of the purchased appliance(s). Non-compliance with the Program rules may result in the return of equipment and possible reporting to judicial authorities.”
12 – Can the E-Lar funding be increased?
“The E-Lar Program has a budget of 40 million euros: 30 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), supplemented by 10 million from the Environmental Fund. Of this amount, 5.6 million is allocated to Group I beneficiaries (beneficiaries of the More Sustainable Neighborhoods Program), 14.4 million to Group II (beneficiaries of the Social Electricity Tariff), and 10 million to Group III (all those not covered in previous groups with an electricity supply contract). The additional 10 million and fund reallocation between these groups depend on their respective execution. Thus, unutilized values from one group may be used for another group. E-Lar admits applications until June 2026, or until it reaches its budget limit.”
