The roof is where a house loses or gains a lot of heat. That is why many people ask whether the State pays for insulation. The short answer, as of 2 November 2026, is this: we found no open programme for private individuals to insulate their roof. There was the Vale Eficiência (Efficiency Voucher), but it closed and never paid for insulation. The next support, the Plano Social para o Clima (Social Climate Plan), is planned for the second half of 2027, and it is only for vulnerable households. This guide explains what exists, what is coming, and how to pay less VAT in the meantime.
Updated on 2 November 2026. Programmes change quickly: before deciding, check the portal of the Fundo Ambiental (Environmental Fund) or the Agência para o Clima (the Climate Agency).
The essentials
- Vale Eficiência: closed. The award of new vouchers ended immediately in February 2026. Each voucher was worth 1,300 euros plus VAT and did not pay for insulation: it paid for windows, heat pumps, solar thermal systems, boilers and photovoltaic panels.
- Plano Social para o Clima: planned for 2027. Portugal submitted the proposal to Brussels on 9 October 2026. The first call is planned for the second half of 2027. It targets about 50 thousand vulnerable households.
- Today, for most homes, there is no open subsidy for insulating the roof. What exists is reduced VAT at 6% on labour, under the conditions in our VAT guide.
- Apartment blocks: there was a PRR call (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência, the Recovery and Resilience Plan) for insulating roofs in residential buildings, before 2026. We found no open call today.
What the Vale Eficiência was and why it does not help
The Vale Eficiência was a Fundo Ambiental programme for vulnerable households. According to the Observador article of 26 February 2026, which quotes Lusa (the Portuguese news agency):
- The second and last phase (PVE II) paid for the replacement of windows of class A and heating or cooling systems (heat pumps, solar thermal, boilers, photovoltaic).
- Insulation was «an intervention that was not supported in PVE II».
- Each voucher was worth 1,300 euros plus VAT. In phase I it was one per household, in phase II up to three.
- The Agência para o Clima ordered the award of new vouchers to end «immediately». Ongoing cases were due to finish by the end of May 2026.
- About 28 thousand eligible applications were left without a voucher. The Observador says they will only be able to apply again in 2027.
If someone offers you a «1,300-euro voucher for the roof» today, be wary: the programme is closed and was never for insulation.
Plano Social para o Clima: what we know
The Plano Social para o Clima is the Portuguese part of the European Union’s Social Climate Fund. According to the Government’s press release of 9 October 2026:
- Portugal submitted to the European Commission a proposal of about 1.6 billion euros, to be carried out by 2032.
- It provides support for about 50 thousand vulnerable households for home energy efficiency.
- It is managed by the Agência para o Clima.
- The next step is the formal negotiation with the Commission. Implementation is planned for the second half of 2027, with the first calls.
The Observador, in February 2026, describes the «Famílias + Sustentáveis» (More Sustainable Households) measure for 2027, aimed at people on the social energy tariff (tarifa social de energia) or with low incomes, and says it includes insulation, replacing windows and doors, and heat pumps. A presentation by the Agência para o Clima, which we read through a summary, speaks of grants between 80% and 100% of eligible costs. We have not confirmed these percentages in the final text: they come from a proposal stage.
What this means for you:
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You are on the social energy tariff or have a low income | Follow the Agência para o Clima’s calls from 2027. Do not pay for the work before the call says whether it accepts costs already incurred. |
| Normal income | You will probably fall outside this plan. Count on reduced VAT and energy savings. |
| You live in an apartment block | Ask the building manager whether the residents’ association is following calls for roofs. |
Important rule: in Fundo Ambiental programmes, in general, the work only counts after the application is approved. This is standard, but we have not confirmed it for the new plan. Read the call when it is published. Anyone who did the work beforehand may lose the support.
Apartment blocks
A news item from Idealista about PRR support for multi-family buildings mentions a call for insulating roofs, walls and floors, with maximum support of 150,000 euros per residents’ association and 477 applications. It is a line from before 2026, funded by the PRR. The PRR is coming to an end (deadline in 2026) and we found no open call. If your building has a project, ask the building manager to check the Fundo Ambiental portal.
What you can do today: reduced VAT
Labour for maintenance, renovation or improvement work on a dwelling pays 6% VAT (item 2.27). Materials only get 6% if they do not exceed 20% of the value of the contract. The guide to VAT on roof works explains the rule, the sentence the invoice must carry and what is left out. For insulation, confirm with the contractor that the work counts as improvement of a residential property. We do not have an opinion from the AT (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, the tax authority) on roof insulation.
What is not worth waiting for
- Money for «insulating» without a published call. There is no open line.
- «Subsidy companies» that ask for an advance payment. Public calls are free to consult on the Fundo Ambiental portal.
- That the 2027 plan will reach everyone. It is for vulnerable households.
Before insulating on your own
- Check the condition of the roof. Insulating over a leak traps the damp inside. See our guide to support after the storm if there was damage.
- If the roof is fibre cement, do not touch it before reading the asbestos guide. Cutting or drilling the sheets is dangerous.
- Ask for a quote with labour and materials separate.
- Check the building permit (in general maintenance is exempt; see the permit guide).
What we could not confirm
- Whether there is an open call at the Fundo Ambiental today. Our search found none, but the portal publishes calls with little notice.
- The final text of the Plano Social para o Clima: limits, percentages, income and whether it accepts work already done.
- The Fundo Ambiental «simplified mechanism» for the roughly 28 thousand eligible households left without a voucher (email notice on 30 October 2026, rules on 5 November, sign-up from 23 November, according to our research for JanelaCerta.pt). We have not read the notice. It belongs to Vale Eficiência, so it covers windows and equipment, not insulation.
- Municipal programmes. Some town halls (câmaras) have their own support. Ask yours.
- Tax deductions for energy efficiency spending in IRS (personal income tax). We did not check them.
Sources (read on 2 November 2026)
- Governo de Portugal, Portugal entrega a Bruxelas Plano Social para o Clima de 1,6 mil milhões de euros, 9 October 2026.
- Observador, Programa Vale Eficiência deixa 28 mil famílias vulneráveis sem apoio até 2027, 26 February 2026 (quotes Lusa).
- Idealista, Programa Vale Eficiência deixa 28 mil famílias sem apoio até 2027, 2026 (timetable of the new plan; summary read through a search).
- Idealista, Apoios para isolar edifícios atrasados a três meses do fim do PRR (PRR call for apartment blocks; summary read through a search).
- Agência para o Clima, presentation of the Plano Social para o Clima (Porto), October 2025: support percentages, read through a summary and not confirmed in the final text.