mercado regulado

Published 5 November 2026, 23:09

mercado regulado (regulated market for electricity and gas)

Buying electricity or gas at a price set by the regulator ERSE rather than by the supplier. On the mainland, regulated electricity is sold by a single company, SU Eletricidade. The price is adjusted according to rules set and announced in advance: once a year, with interim adjustments if purchasing costs differ from the forecast. As at June 2026 this market had 779,000 customers, accounting for about 4.6% of all electricity consumption in the country.

Where you come across it. Your electricity bill, which shows who your supplier is and what your tariff is; discussions about switching supplier, when choosing between leaving things as they are and a free-market offer.

Regulated does not mean cheap: it means predictable. You have to compare it with free-market offers yourself; ERSE runs a price comparison tool for this.

Official website: erse.pt/atividade/regulacao/tarifas-e-precos-eletricidade

Guides

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