In December 2025, the Government announced a loan for home energy-efficiency work, with windows on the list. Many people ask whether it is a grant, who can apply and when it opens. The short answer: it is a loan, not a gift, it has not opened yet, and the Portaria that creates it sets 12 December 2026 as the deadline for it to be available.
This guide reads what Portaria 442-A/2025/1 says and what is still unknown. To see your case, use the quiz in the guide to window grants.
What it is
The Portaria creates a financial instrument, foreseen in the PRR, to support energy-efficiency work in homes and reduce energy poverty. It is run by the Banco Português de Fomento (BPF), with technical collaboration from the Agência para o Clima. It gives support as a repayable loan, which may include an interest subsidy and a public guarantee.
The BPF sets the financing rates, terms and conditions in sheets for the instrument, which may vary by type of beneficiary, and may provide more favourable conditions for people in the lowest IRS brackets. You apply at the participating credit institutions.
When it opens
The Portaria says the instrument must be available to potential beneficiaries within one year at most of publication. It was published on 12 December 2025. The deadline is therefore 12 December 2026.
I did not find the exact opening date, the interest rate, the repayment terms or the list of banks. I have not seen the BPF sheets or the protocol with the Agência para o Clima published.
Which works are included
For windows, the Portaria speaks of replacing inefficient glazed openings with efficient windows of minimum energy class A. On the same line (opaque and glazed envelope) come thermal insulation of roofs, walls and floors, solar shading and control, green roofs and air-admission grilles for natural ventilation.
There are other lines: heat pumps, solar thermal systems, mechanical ventilation, photovoltaic panels, water efficiency and intangible costs, such as energy certification and audits.
Costs directly linked to the works are eligible, including non-deductible VAT. Costs already paid by other national or European support programmes are not eligible.
Who can apply
| Who | What the Portaria requires |
|---|---|
| People in IRS brackets 1 to 4 | Bracket by the household’s taxable income, on the last return validated by the tax office. Those exempt from IRS can prove an equivalent income. They must hold rights that allow the works |
| Other people | They must hold rights that allow the works and have a prior, valid energy certificate of class C or lower |
| Tenants | A valid lease registered at the tax office, the owner’s permission and, if not in brackets 1 to 4, the prior certificate |
| Condominiums, cooperatives, charities, councils and other bodies | For common areas or properties used for social or housing purposes |
The instrument covers the whole territory, including the Azores and Madeira, and existing residential buildings, houses or flats.
The energy certificate
- IRS brackets 1 to 4: no energy certificate is required before applying.
- Everyone else: needs a valid certificate of class C or lower before applying.
- For everyone: a prior certificate of class B or higher makes the home ineligible.
- After the works: every property has to be certified.
If your home has no certificate, the cost of getting one is an eligible expense.
What the Portaria does not say
- How much you can borrow, over how many years you repay and at what rate.
- Which banks will join.
- When applications open.
- How much the interest subsidy costs, or who gets it, beyond the possible «more favourable conditions» in the lowest brackets.
What to do while it is not open
- Find your IRS bracket. The grants quiz works it out from taxable income.
- Check the energy certificate. If the home has one of class B or higher, the loan is no use. If it has none, bracket 5 or above will need one.
- Ask for quotes with class A windows, with the CLASSE+ label ID. See how to read a quote.
- Do not buy now counting on the loan. You apply at participating banks and the rules are not published yet. Ask your bank whether it has joined and when it opens.
Sources
- Portaria 442-A/2025/1 of 12 December (Diário da República): purpose, one-year deadline, managing body, eligibility of properties and beneficiaries, works, costs, type of support and access. Text read on 22 October 2026.
- Government portal: support for families to cut energy use: announcement of the loan.
- Pplware, 16 December 2025: context and the status «announced, not yet open». Press.
What to do next
- See all grants and take the quiz: window grants.
- See what happened to the Vale Eficiência.
- Compare quotes with the quote comparison.