What heat costs in a Panama apartment
Data: July 2026 · official ASEP tariffs Jan–Jun 2026 · methodology & sources below
TL;DR: residential electricity in Panama costs $0.157–$0.335 per kWh depending on utility and block (ASEP, Jan–Jun 2026); air conditioning is the biggest load in homes that run it daily; and solar control film rejects 35–86% of the solar heat coming through glass. For a $180–$300 bill with afternoon sun, the conservative estimated saving is $15–$60 a month.
What does a residential kWh cost in Panama in 2026?
Per ASEP’s official tariff schedule in force January 1 – June 30, 2026, the BTS residential rate runs from $0.157/kWh (first EDEMET block) to $0.335/kWh (top EDEMET block). An apartment running AC daily easily passes 300 kWh and pays its extra consumption at top-block rates.
| Consumption block | EDEMET (Naturgy) | ENSA | EDECHI (Naturgy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11–300 kWh | $0.15693 | $0.17581 | $0.16476 |
| 301–750 kWh | $0.22549 | $0.20362 | $0.21525 |
| > 750 kWh | $0.33454 | $0.23088 | $0.31261 |
The tariff-stabilization subsidy applies only up to 300 kWh: air-conditioning consumption — what actually inflates the bill — is paid at the marginal top-block rate.
How much of the bill is air conditioning?
In Panama homes running AC daily it is by far the largest item: the National Energy Secretariat reports cooling already near 45% of the country’s daily electricity use during heat waves, and projects AC at 55% of residential consumption by 2050 (National Energy Plan 2015–2050). Our math uses a conservative 40–60% of the bill.
And the heat your AC fights comes in mostly through glass: the industry estimates roughly a third of cooling spend is due to window heat gain (3M, Jul 2026). In Panama City, a University of Panama study measured maximum radiation on east–west façades, peaking inside the apartment near 4 p.m.
How much of that heat does window film cut?
Solar control films reject between 35% (budget dyed) and 70% TSER (premium ceramic) of total solar energy — with manufacturer lines reporting up to 86% of heat (Madico) and 97% of infrared (3M Prestige). In building retrofits, Eastman/LLumar documents 5–15% annual energy savings, and the EPA’s Energy Star manual cites up to 50% cooling-cost reduction in favorable cases.
Calculate your estimated savings
Set your bill and pick your case. The result is a conservative range — not a promise.
How much sun do your windows get?
Film tier
Estimated savings on your bill
$15–$23 per month
$180–$276 per year
Conservative range for a home running AC daily. The exact figure depends on your glass, orientation, and AC hours — we confirm it with a free measurement.
Methodology & sources
Formula: monthly saving ≈ bill × AC share (40–60%) × share of heat entering through windows (~30%) × tier TSER (35–70%) × orientation factor (0.5–1.0). We publish the low and high bounds, never a single number. Limitations: it does not model factory double/Low-E glazing, neighboring-building shade, or AC usage habits — the on-site measurement adjusts those.
- ASEP — Tariff schedules Jan–Jun 2026 (official PDF)
- National Energy Plan 2015–2050 (SNE Panama)
- La Estrella de Panamá — SNE: cooling and power demand
- University of Panama (SusBCity) — radiation on east–west façades
- LLumar/Eastman — 5–15% retrofit savings and residential specs
- Madico — up to 86% of solar heat · 3M Prestige — up to 97% IR · Solar Gard — up to 79% of solar energy
- HomeAdvisor/Angi — installed price reference 2025
How to cite this page
Papel Ahumado Panamá (July 2026). "What heat costs in a Panama apartment". https://papelahumadopanama.com/en/energy-savings
Data reusable with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
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