Energy Certificate
Support with booking a qualified inspection for the energy certificate within the SCE framework.
Book energy certificateADENE + SCE Guide
ADENE and Energy Certificate in Portugal
Understand the role of ADENE, how the SCE works, who can issue an energy certificate, and why this assessment matters when selling, renting, buying, or upgrading property in Portugal.
Official ADENE / SCE contextClear guidance for buyers and property ownersDirect path to InspectOS services
Institutional context
What ADENE is and why it matters
ADENE - Portugal's energy agency - is a non-profit entity focused on energy efficiency and sustainability. According to ADENE itself, its mission is to support the energy transition by helping implement public policy and by empowering citizens, businesses, and institutions.
Its work spans building energy efficiency, water efficiency, sustainable mobility, circularity assessment, technical training, energy literacy, and the management of Portugal's building energy certification system.
Energy efficiency
ADENE operates in building performance, improvement measures, consumer guidance, and the technical framework behind better energy outcomes.
Systems and tools
It oversees and supports tools linked to certification, water efficiency, circularity, and technical implementation.
Policy delivery
It helps turn national and EU energy policy into practical systems, methodologies, and market-facing instruments.
SCEPortugal's national building energy certification framework
CEA key document in many real estate transactions
EPBDEU rules pushing stronger performance, inspection and renovation logic
RoteiroGrowing link between certification and planned building upgrades
SCE and issuance
How the SCE and the energy certificate work
The energy certificate classifies a property's energy performance and is required in several real estate transactions. ADENE states that certificates are issued exclusively by professionals designated as Qualified Experts within the national certification system.
On the official SCE portal, the certificate is also presented as a practical tool for identifying improvement measures, supporting renovation decisions, strengthening a property's market positioning, and in some cases helping access tax or financing advantages.
- Classifies the property's energy performance
- Helps identify improvement measures
- Matters for sale and rental transactions
- Provides a basis for renovation planning
Who issues it
Who actually issues the energy certificate
ADENE
Manages the framework
SCE
National system
Qualified Expert
Issues the certificate
This is where wording matters. ADENE manages the national framework for energy certification, but the certificate itself is issued by a Qualified Expert within the SCE. So the accurate way to describe it is not that ADENE directly issues every certificate, but that the process takes place inside a national system managed by ADENE.
Recommended wording
Certificate issued by a Qualified Expert within the SCE, Portugal's national system managed by ADENE.
Practical value
Why the energy certificate matters to buyers and property owners
More than just a compliance document
According to the SCE portal, an energy certificate should not be treated as box-ticking paperwork: it helps reveal how a property is likely to perform, what it may cost to run, where improvements may be needed, and how to approach purchase, sale, rental, or upgrade decisions with more clarity.
For owners
It supports property marketing, clarifies the current energy rating, and can help prioritise works before sale or rental.
For buyers
It helps interpret the home's likely energy behaviour and spot future comfort, cost, or upgrade issues.
For renovation
It provides a useful starting point for a wider building-improvement plan and a future renovation passport.
Typical issues that matter in an energy assessment
Thermal envelope and insulation
Windows and opening performance
Heating and cooling systems
Domestic hot water systems
Ventilation and indoor comfort
Potential energy savings
EPBD and future requirements
ADENE, the EPBD and where building rules are heading
ADENE states that it is supporting Portugal's transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/1275 on the energy performance of buildings. The themes highlighted include updated minimum requirements, new certificate layouts, zero-emission buildings, stronger inspection of technical systems, indoor environmental quality, and more structured renovation instruments.
In plain terms, this means buyers and property owners should think beyond today's energy label and start looking at future compliance, refurbishment needs, and long-term building performance.
Renovation passport
What a Renovation Passport is
ADENE has worked on this through projects such as iBRoad2EPC,which links energy certification with the integration of Building Renovation Passports. The goal is to turn the energy diagnosis into a staged, building-specific upgrade roadmap.
For owners and buyers, this is valuable because it moves the conversation beyond a simple rating and towards a practical plan with priorities, sequencing, and a clearer sense of long-term value.
Official visual context
Reference visuals from ADENE projects
Os projetos iBRoad2EPC e EPBD.wise ajudam a enquadrar visualmente a ligação entre certificação energética, passaportes de renovação e implementação da política europeia para edifícios.
InspectOS services
How InspectOS can help
InspectOS can turn this technical framework into clear next steps, helping owners, buyers, and investors move forward with the right service at the right moment.
For fuller due diligence, complement this guide with DGEG gas inspection context and the role of Ordem dos Engenheiros in technical property assessment.
Pre-Purchase Inspection
For buyers who want to go beyond the existing document and better understand the property's real technical condition and risks.
View pre-purchase inspectionRenovation Passport
For structuring a building-upgrade plan with staged logic and clearer energy-improvement priorities.
View renovation passportNeed help with the energy certificate or a renovation passport?
Use this page to understand the ADENE / SCE framework first, then move ahead with the service that fits your situation with the InspectOS team.
Frequently asked questions about ADENE and the energy certificate
- ADENE is Portugal's energy agency. It works on energy efficiency, sustainability, and support for implementing public policy linked to the energy transition.
- Portugal's national certification system is managed within ADENE's framework, but the certificate itself is issued by Qualified Experts operating within the SCE.
- The SCE is Portugal's Building Energy Certification System. It is the official framework for issuing, consulting, and managing energy certificates.
- An energy certificate is required in several real estate transactions, including sale and rental, and is also useful for understanding upgrades and planning renovation works.
- It is a staged building improvement roadmap that complements the energy assessment and helps plan interventions with stronger technical and financial logic. ADENE has worked on this through the iBRoad2EPC project.