19/03/2025

On 13 March 2025, ERSE - Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos (Energy Services Regulatory Authority) held a ConvERSE initiative on the theme ‘Energy literacy in Portugal: Diagnosis, now what?’, aimed at promoting debate on this issue and disseminating the study on consumer literacy in the area of energy, carried out at the end of 2024 by the consulting firm Qmetrics.

Pedro Verdelho, president of ERSE, pointed to participation and inclusion, through the protection and empowerment of consumers and the involvement of stakeholders, as one of the main pillars of ERSE's Multiannual Strategic and Financial Plan 2023-2027, emphasising the need to strengthen energy literacy and promote knowledge, especially in a context of energy transition.

The president of ERSE also emphasised the outreach training actions carried out by ERSE with consumers, through various protocols signed, among others, with the GNR, Entreajuda, Casa Pia, CAP, AIP - CCI, as well as the growing production of educational materials, in simple and clear language, to ensure a better understanding of regulatory decisions.

The event continued with a presentation by Susana Justo, general director of Qmetrics, on the objectives, methodology and main conclusions of the study on consumer literacy in the energy sector, which covered the whole of Portugal and involved domestic consumers in the energy sector (electricity and natural gas) aged between 18 and 75. As a result of this work, the consumer literacy index was set at 45.3 points, a slight improvement on the study also carried out by ERSE in 2020.

The event was also attended by sociologists and researchers from the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon, Luísa Schmidt and Ana Horta, who identified some of the problems associated with energy illiteracy, as well as solutions for improvement.

The second panel featured case studies by Fernando Viana, president and executive director of the Consumer Arbitration Tribunal (CNIACC and CIAB), Fernanda Santos, coordinator of DECO's Training and Education Department, Pedro Andersson, SIC journalist and head of the Contas Poupança programme, and SU Eletricidade, promoter of the Twist Project, developed with the support of PPEC - Plano de Promoção da Eficiência no Consumo de Energia.

The two panels were moderated by Pedro Costa, director of Energy Consumers at ERSE.

Closing ConvERSE was ERSE administrator Isabel Apolinário, who pointed to the importance of the launch of ERSE's new service, called ‘Let's simulate with you’, which aims to bring ERSE's energy price simulator to the attention of consumers at their place of work and how using it can help them choose the best energy offer on the market and save on their energy bills. Emphasising the constant need to empower consumers, Isabel Apolinário also highlighted the role of suppliers in this process, given their proximity to customers.

Access: Study on household Energy Consumer Literacy

Presentations:

Susana Justo - Diretora-Geral da QMetrics 

Fernando Viana - Presidente e Diretor-Executivo do Tribunal Arbitral de Consumo (CNIACC e CIAB)

Fernanda Santos - Coordenadora do Departamento de Formação e Educação da DECO

Pedro Andersson - Jornalista da SIC - Programa Contas Poupança