Glossary

mercado liberalizado

Published 5 November 2026, 23:09
mercado liberalizado (free market for electricity and gas)

Buying electricity or gas from any supplier at a price it sets itself: Galp, EDP Comercial, Endesa, Iberdrola, Goldenergy and others. There are promotions, discounts for direct debit and contracts with a price fixed for a year, but it can also work out more expensive than the regulated tariff. Tariffs with different day and night rates are also found here. The network access charge and taxes are the same on both markets — only the price of the energy itself differs.

Where you come across it. Choosing a supplier when you move into a home, a letter from your supplier about new terms, trying to bring your bill down.
ERSE decisions on the regulated tariff do not automatically apply here, but the wholesale price is the same for everyone: when it rises, free-market suppliers usually revise their terms too. Read your supplier's letters, not just the bills.