What heat costs in a Panama apartment
Tariffs checked: October 2026 (ASEP, Sep–Dec 2026) · other data: July 2026 · methodology & sources below
TL;DR: residential electricity in Panama costs $0.176–$0.275 per kWh depending on utility and block (ASEP, schedule in force September 1 – December 31, 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 sheet in force September 1 – December 31, 2026 (the first period of the 2026–2030 tariff schedules), the BTS residential rate runs from $0.176/kWh (first EDEMET block) to $0.275/kWh (top EDECHI block). An apartment running AC daily easily passes 300 kWh and pays its extra consumption at the higher-block rates.
| Consumption block | EDEMET (Naturgy) | ENSA | EDECHI (Naturgy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed charge (first 10 kWh), USD/month | $3.17 | $2.76 | $3.04 |
| 11–300 kWh | $0.17624 | $0.17737 | $0.19175 |
| 301–750 kWh | $0.23177 | $0.24666 | $0.25341 |
| > 750 kWh | $0.25027 | $0.27005 | $0.27486 |
Subsidy in Panama City (EDEMET and ENSA): the Tariff Stabilization Fund (FET) discounts 27%–49% up to 300 kWh. Above that there is a much smaller “additional FET” — at EDEMET it goes from 10% (301–350 kWh) to 0% from 851 kWh; at ENSA, from 0% to 9.5% depending on the band — and fuel-variation charges get no FET. Air-conditioning consumption, which is what inflates the bill, gets little or no subsidy. (EDECHI, in Chiriquí, also adds the Western Tariff Fund.)
What changed in Panama’s power tariff on September 1, 2026?
ASEP’s 2026–2030 tariff schedules took effect. For heavy users — typical with air conditioning — the over-750 kWh block fell 25% at EDEMET ($0.335 → $0.250), but ENSA’s 301–750 kWh block rose 21% ($0.204 → $0.247). Heat coming through the glass is still paid at the highest rate on your bill.
| Utility and block | Jan–Jun 2026 | Sep–Dec 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDEMET · over 750 kWh | $0.33454 | $0.25027 | −25% |
| EDEMET · 11–300 kWh | $0.15693 | $0.17624 | +12% |
| ENSA · 301–750 kWh | $0.20362 | $0.24666 | +21% |
| ENSA · over 750 kWh | $0.23088 | $0.27005 | +17% |
| EDECHI · 301–750 kWh | $0.21525 | $0.25341 | +18% |
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 — Regulated-customer tariffs, Sep–Dec 2026 (official PDF)
- ASEP — Tariff schedules Jan–Jun 2026 (official PDF, for the comparison)
- 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 (October 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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