the regime, explained
The SGCIE, plainly.
The SGCIE is Portugal's regime for energy-intensive consumption. It requires installations above a consumption threshold to carry out periodic energy audits and to execute a consumption-reduction plan agreed with the DGEG, the national energy authority. It applies from 500 tep per year. It was created by Decree-Law 71/2008 of 15 April, which replaced the 1983 energy consumption regulation, and amended by Law 7/2013 and Decree-Law 68-A/2015.
This guide explains the regime in plain language. It does not replace reading the legislation or taking legal advice.
- 500 tep
- the entry threshold, per year
- 6 or 8 years
- the agreement's length, by consumption
- Every 2 years
- how often the REP is filed
- DL 71/2008
- the decree that created the regime
Who is in scope, and how hard it bites.
An installation enters the SGCIE when it consumes 500 tep or more per year. From there the regime has two tiers, and the heavier consumer is the more demanding one in both directions: it audits more often and carries a bigger target. That is the opposite of what most people assume.
| Annual consumption | Audit frequency | PREn and ARCE length | Reduction target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 to 1000 tep | 8 years | 8 years | 4 per cent |
| 1000 tep or more | 6 years | 6 years | 6 per cent |
Five steps, and the fourth is where the time goes.
The cycle is always the same, and it repeats for as long as the installation stays above the threshold.
- 01
DCRE
The installation declares its consumption to the DGEG. This declaration is what brings it into the regime and what starts every deadline that follows.
- 02
Energy audit
A DGEG-recognised technician examines where energy goes, what it costs and which measures would reduce it. It requires compiling the period's actual consumption, invoice by invoice.
- 03
PREn
The audit produces the plan: the measures and the targets the installation commits to, submitted to the DGEG.
- 04
ARCE
Once the PREn is approved the targets stop being a proposal and become an obligation. The agreement unlocks the regime's exemptions and benefits, conditional on meeting them.
- 05
REP
Every two years, a report demonstrates to the DGEG whether the targets are being met. It means compiling every invoice for the period again, which makes it the most time-consuming part of the cycle for the auditor.
The acronyms, translated.
The regime has four documents and they are easy to confuse. Each term links to its full definition in the glossary.
- DCRE
- The declaration of energy consumption filed with the DGEG. It is what brings an installation into the regime.
- PREn
- The energy-rationalisation plan. It comes out of the audit and sets the targets.
- ARCE
- The rationalisation agreement. It is the PREn once approved, the point at which the targets start to bind.
- REP
- The execution and progress report. Two-yearly, it evidences performance against the targets across the ARCE.
Where foraudits fits.
Nowhere near the decision. foraudits is not a recognised technician, does not sign audits and does not stand in for the auditor before the DGEG. What it does is the mechanical part: it collects the period's invoices in a portal carrying the auditor's brand, extracts the data from each one with no manual transcription, and hands back a series ready to analyse. The judgement, the plan and the signature stay with the person qualified to make them.
What people ask about the SGCIE.
- At what consumption does the SGCIE apply?
- From 500 tep per year. Below that an installation is not treated as an energy-intensive consumer for the purposes of the regime.
- How long does the ARCE last?
- Six years at installations consuming 1000 tep or more per year, and eight years for those between 500 and 1000 tep. The heavier consumers get the shorter cycle.
- What targets does the regime set?
- A 6 per cent reduction in energy intensity and specific energy consumption at installations from 1000 tep per year, and 4 per cent between 500 and 1000 tep, while holding carbon intensity.
- How often does the REP have to be filed?
- Every two years, throughout the life of the ARCE. Each REP compares actual consumption for the period against the agreed targets and explains the gaps.
- Who can carry out an SGCIE energy audit?
- A technician recognised by the DGEG. The recognition is personal rather than corporate and sits in a public register. A report without that signature is not accepted under the regime.
- How many kWh is one tep?
- Roughly 11,630 kWh. The tep, tonne of oil equivalent, is the unit that lets electricity, gas and fuels be added on a common basis, and it is the unit the regime's thresholds are written in.
- Which legislation governs the SGCIE?
- Decree-Law 71/2008 of 15 April, which replaced the 1983 energy consumption regulation, as amended by Law 7/2013 of 22 January and Decree-Law 68-A/2015 of 30 April.
The part of the SGCIE that should not take weeks.
Collecting and reading two or three years of invoices is mechanical work, and it is where projects slip. foraudits does that part, with your brand on the client's portal.
Book a demo