Energy Efficient Buildings in Lisbon Could Receive Discount of 15% on IMI

13 December 2017

The measure is included in proposals that will be discussed tomorrow, December 14, by the city council and are expected to be approved next Tuesday, December 19, by the Municipal Assembly.

Energy-efficient urban buildings in Lisbon are expected to receive a five-year 15% discount on the Municipal Property Tax (IMI) rate, the Jornal de Negócios reported on Wednesday.

Urban buildings must have an energy class higher than A; reuse treated wastewater or rainwater or, if they have undergone recent renovations, the energy efficiency rating should be at least two level higher than it was before, to receive the tax benefit.

More than 1.2 million energy certificates have been issued, and more than 2 million improvement measures have been identified since the Building Energy Certification System (SCE) was implemented in 2007. These improvements could translate into savings of up to 800 million euros per year, according to figures published in the Jornal Econômico by Manuel Boia, the head of ADENE – the Portuguese Energy Agency.

In May of this year, ADENE carried out a market study on Energy Efficiency in Private Housing, which revealed that three out of four of the respondents showed concern about energy efficiency, with the objective of reducing the use of electricity, gas and water. However, in practice, not all respondents were able to implement effective measures to reduce consumption in the most rational way.

Original Story: Jornal Econômico

Photo: Rafael Marchante / Reuters

Translation: Richard Turner