TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE REAL ESTATE MARKET: TACKLING ENERGY POVERTY THROUGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY POLICIES IN URBAN AND RURAL PORTUGAL

Portugal is confronting a challenging position in Europe regarding energy poverty. It is consistently placed as the worst-ranked European country in various energy poverty indicators. The situation has now reached a severe point and requires urgent, targeted, and refined action in order to be effective and succeed. This internship report provides new insights for policy reformulation of existing programs designed to alleviate energy poverty and for the creation of new programs. These national programs are then dissected to examine two districts representing distinct scenarios: Lisbon, a mainly urban region, and Bragança, which is predominantly characterized as rural. The investigation used a quantitative approach, by cross-analyzing data from the energy certificates issued by ADENE – Portuguese Energy Agency – with data from the above-mentioned programs. This resulted in essential revelations regarding their possible improvement and refinement, taking into account the intrinsic characteristics of each district. The results showed an urgent need to differentiate the financing and the measures of these programs according to each type of district instead of using a national standard “one-size-fits-all” solution. This is especially relevant, as the impact of these measures produces a significantly bigger impact in rural areas than in urban regions, as their needs and challenges are very distinct. The report emphasizes the need to adapt national strategies to regional contexts, this way effectively addressing the nuanced realities of energy poverty across diverse geographical contexts.