Month 1
Time
1 hour total · 1–5 days activation
Cost
€60–120/mo combined
Difficulty
Medium
What to bring
NIF
Lease (or deed)
CPE code for electricity / CUI for gas. Printed on any old bill, or ask the landlord
Portuguese IBAN for direct debits
Not needed: An in-person visit. Every retailer signs you up online
Your options
EDP Comercial
The default. Biggest retailer, app in English
~€50–80/mo elec.
Not the cheapest kWh, but the smoothest onboarding and the app expats actually manage to use. Dual tariff (bi-horária) saves money if you run appliances at night.
Galp / Iberdrola / Endesa
Often cheaper. The market is liberalised
Varies by promo
All legitimate; promos undercut EDP by 10–15%. Compare on poupaenergia.pt (the official comparator). Switching later is free and painless.
EPAL (water)
Lisbon's water utility. No choice to make
~€15–25/mo
Water in Lisbon city is EPAL, full stop. Contract online at epal.pt with NIF + lease. Outside the city it's your municipality's utility instead.
Prices checked June 2026
Do it
- 1
Find your CPE and CUI codes
The CPE (electricity) and CUI (gas) identify the meter, not the person. They're on any previous bill — ask the landlord or agent before they vanish.
- 2
Contract electricity online
Pick a retailer, enter CPE + NIF + IBAN. If the previous tenant's contract is still active, ask for a "mudança de titular" — faster than a new connection.
- 3
Water via EPAL, gas if the flat has it
EPAL signup is online. Many Lisbon flats are bottled-gas (garrafa) or all-electric — check before contracting piped gas you don't have.
- 4
Photograph the meters on day one
Send readings to landlord and retailer. This is what stops you paying the previous tenant's last month.
Words you'll hear
Morada
Your registered address. Update it at Finanças when you move. It drives taxes, health centre, everything.
Common questions
The flat already has power — do I need to do anything?
Yes — either move the contract to your name ("mudança de titular") or get the landlord-billing arrangement in writing. Ambiguity here is how deposits die.
What is this CPE code everyone asks for?
The electricity meter's ID (CUI for gas). It identifies the connection, not the person — it's printed on any previous bill, so grab one before the landlord leaves.
Should I pick the dual tariff (bi-horária)?
If you can run laundry and the dishwasher at night or weekends, yes — it's the easy 10–15% saving with zero lifestyle cost.
Read more
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Full guide · 6 min read
Full checklist tracking and task completion live in the Settli app for Lisbon.