Lisbon, Aug. 5, 2025 (Lusa) - Anyone wishing to benefit from support to replace gas cookers, ovens and water heaters with energy-efficient electrical appliances will be able to apply from 30 September, the Portuguese Minister for the Environment and Energy announced on Tuesday.
According to Maria da Graça Carvalho, the maximum amount of support cannot exceed €1,683 for individuals and families who are entitled to the social energy tariff and are included in the Bairros + Sustentáveis (More Sustainable Neighbourhoods) programme, and €1,100 for those who have an unrestricted electricity supply contract.
Payments under the E-Lar (E-Home) programme will be made directly by the Climate Agency to suppliers, who will have to ensure that the replaced appliances are delivered for recycling.
Applications for suppliers will open on 18 August, the minister said at a press conference in Lisbon, where she expressed her hope for "widespread participation" by retailers.
In total, the E-Lar programme budget could reach €40 million: €30 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and "an additional €10 million from the Environmental Fund if demand justifies it".
Maria da Graça Carvalho said that families wishing to take advantage of the support can apply for the programme from 30 September and "until the available funds are exhausted", which she believes will happen quickly.
To apply, interested parties must fill out a form on the website www.fundoambiental.pt.
If the application is accepted, they will receive a voucher that they can use in the E-Lar programme's network of suppliers to purchase hobs, ovens and electric water heaters.
The figures to be allocated for each appliance to be purchased, which must be energy class A or higher, are fixed, up to a total of €1,683 for vulnerable families and €1,100 for others.
“The aim is to effectively convert this €40 million into much more efficient appliances for all households,” said the Minister for the Environment and Energy.
The minister also announced the allocation of €60 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan to the Bairros + Sustentáveis (More Sustainable Neighbourhoods) programme, open to local authorities, private social solidarity institutions and residents' associations wishing to intervene in buildings located in municipal neighbourhoods, historic areas and urban regeneration areas in the 35 municipalities of the Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas.
In this case, the works covered include thermal insulation and the installation of green roofs, natural ventilation systems, solar panels and more efficient water use devices, among others.
“We estimate that the available funds will allow for intervention in at least 3,500 residential units,” said Maria da Graça Carvalho, specifying that works carried out since 20 February 2020, with invoices and receipts, will be accepted in order to mitigate the fact that the Recovery and Resilience Plan implementation period ends in June 2026.
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