The value of the measures, previously disclosed by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, results from the reprogramming of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).
The new measures, as noted in a statement by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, are aimed at combating energy poverty, enhancing thermal comfort in homes, and supporting the most vulnerable families in the energy transition.
The E_Lar initiative—Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort—aims to enhance thermal comfort in homes by replacing inefficient appliances and gas-powered equipment with more efficient and sustainable electric equipment.
This initiative is similar to the “Efficiency Voucher” program and is especially targeted at beneficiaries of the social energy tariff and those receiving minimum social benefits.
According to the statement, the measure is simple, quick, and effective, involving local suppliers and companies.
The second measure, Sustainable Neighborhoods for Climate Transition, “strengthens the community aspect of combating energy poverty by supporting integrated local interventions, prioritizing vulnerable territories and solutions adapted to each neighborhood’s context,” as stated by the Ministry.
The program for the two measures has funding of 90 million euros from the PRR and an additional 10 million from the Environmental Fund. This follows a reprogramming of the PRR that increased support for combating energy poverty.
“Approved by the European Commission, this program will be simple and easily accessible to people, with execution capacity,” according to the statement.
The measures were already announced by the minister in November of last year during a parliamentary hearing on the State Budget proposal for 2025.
At the time, Maria da Graça Carvalho noted that each of the measures should be allocated 50 million euros, and mentioned that the so-called “window program,” which funded the replacement of house windows, would end.
The statement from the Ministry recalls that next June, the Climate Social Fund will come into effect (until 2031), becoming the main tool for addressing the social impact of the energy transition, with an allocation of 1.6 billion euros.
The Government created the Climate Agency last year, which unites and manages national and international climate-related funds, including the upcoming Climate Social Fund, which results from the application of a European directive.
The Government’s strategy, as stated in the communication, “combines social response and climate justice,” supports the reduction of gas consumption, promotes energy electrification, enhances energy efficiency, and contributes to national decarbonization goals, aligned with the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC 2030).
As combating energy poverty is a priority, the Government is launching a new generation of programs that are “more effective, more accessible, with direct impact on people’s lives, and that pave the way for the future Climate Social Fund,” said the minister as cited in the statement.
