DECO -ASSOCIACAO PORTUGUESA PARA ADEFESA DO CONSUMIDOR

Their core work

DECO is Portugal's leading consumer protection association, representing the interests of Portuguese consumers across markets and public policy. In the H2020 context, they bring the consumer perspective to energy transition projects — translating technical solutions into practical guidance for households, testing how real people interact with energy labels, heating upgrades, and sustainability tools. Their core contribution is bridging the gap between energy policy/technology and actual consumer behavior, particularly for vulnerable and energy-poor households.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

DECO's early H2020 involvement (2015-2018) focused narrowly on energy product labelling and consumer awareness around heating systems — practical, information-driven work. From 2019 onward, their scope widened significantly toward energy poverty, vulnerable consumers, behavioural change methods, and eventually full lifestyle sustainability including carbon footprint tools and citizen science. The trajectory shows a clear shift from informing consumers about energy products to actively co-designing behaviour change interventions with citizens.

DECO is moving from passive consumer information toward active citizen engagement in sustainability transitions, with growing emphasis on social equity and lifestyle-wide carbon reduction.

How they like to work

DECO participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a consumer voice rather than a research leader. With 65 unique partners across 22 countries from just 5 projects, they operate in large, multi-country consortia (averaging 13+ partners per project). This makes them an accessible, experienced partner who understands how to contribute a specific consumer-advocacy function within big European teams.

Remarkably broad network for a national consumer organization: 65 distinct partners across 22 countries from just 5 projects. This reflects the large CSA consortia they join, giving them connections across nearly all EU member states.

What sets them apart

DECO is one of the few consumer protection organizations active in H2020 energy projects, providing something most technical consortia lack: direct access to real consumer perspectives and testing with actual households. As Portugal's main consumer association, they can mobilize citizen panels, run consumer trials, and validate whether energy solutions actually work for ordinary people. For any consortium needing a credible consumer engagement partner in Southern Europe, DECO fills a role that universities and tech companies simply cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PSLifestyle
  Their largest grant (EUR 321,640) and a strategic pivot — expanding from energy-only to full lifestyle sustainability with citizen science and carbon footprint tools.
• STEP
  Directly addressed energy poverty and vulnerable consumers with practical low-cost measures and frontline worker training — high social impact focus.
• HARP
  Combined energy labelling expertise with consumer journey mapping for heating retrofit decisions — bridging their early and later expertise areas.