The Portuguese are increasingly difficult to identify the different parameters of light accounts. Is it excessive information, or lack of literacy?
Only 36.1% of the Portuguese say they know how to read the parameters that appear in the light bill. The new data, related to 2024, “point to a aggravation of this indicator, which in 2020 was 42.2%, ”explains the regulatory entity of Energy Services (ERSE), who presented the data this week.
“In literacy associated with energy bill, the results reveal a significant deficit. About two out of three consumers are unaware of the information presented on their invoice. In the study carried out in 2020, this proportion was slightly lower: 57.8%, in 2020, 63,9%in 2024 ″, writes ERSE no.
Some parameters are read more easily, as is the case with fees and taxes, identified by 17.5% of the population, and the audiovisual contribution, that 10.8% identify.
Concluding, Portuguese domestic consumer currently has an energy literacy rate of 45.3 points (on a scale from 0 to 100).
In addition, the Portuguese “continue to present difficulty in distinguishing between distributors and traders of electricity, this situation being even worse in natural gas ”.
62% indicates only EDP As a distributor, and only 21% mention e-nits. Regarding the companies that sell electricity, EDP continues to stand out (71.3%), and Endesa is known by half of the population (49.7%).
According to the energy literacy is higher in consumers of the male genre, between 36 and 55 years, with higher education and average monthly expenses.
What fails in literacy in this field? Pedro Costa, Erse’s director of energy consumers, says in which there must be a “difficult balance between all the information that has to be present in the invoice and between the consumer has the ability to understand.”
It also says that in order to better understand these invoices it is necessary to keep in mind that 3 different quantities of energy (empty, tip and full – several hours of the day). In gas, this distinction does not exist. Then it is still necessary to take into account the contracted power, highlights.
Pedro Costa also explains that the invoice becomes complex when there are so -called “hits”, that is, when the accountant is not read in a given month (maximum read every 3 months), and compensation is made in the following. When reading is not automatic, for example on the islands, the consumer should make their own reading and communicate it.
“An effort has been made over the years by traders to improve the invoice, and by Erse to improve consumer literacy,” summarizes the director of energy consumer.
It also points out “two base ways ”to save the electricity account: The first is “useRA Energy ”, through“ more efficient appliances ”and consumption in times the energy is cheaper.
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