Content with commercial support. This article mentions a company that has a commercial relationship with Radar Panamá. How this is identified
Contents of this guide
How much air conditioning weighs in a business
A La Prensa report of July 28, 2017 on the efficiency regulation for these units credits the Energy Secretariat with two figures: air conditioners account for 11% of residential electricity demand and 42% of commercial demand. It is a figure from several years ago and from a news report, so it works as an order of magnitude and not as a current measurement.
For a specific business, consumption is worked out from the venue’s own data, not sector averages. The first step is knowing what units there are, how many hours they run and what condition they are in. That is the information gathered by the Climatiza HVAC asset survey: a technical inventory with make, model, capacity, installation year, general condition, criticality and estimated remaining life of each unit.
How to estimate a unit’s consumption
The energy a unit uses is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh) and comes from a simple multiplication: electrical power in kilowatts (kW) times hours of operation. The electrical power is on the unit’s nameplate and should not be confused with cooling capacity in BTU. The table shows each variable and an illustrative numerical example, not a measurement of a real venue.
| Variable | Where it comes from | Illustrative example |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical power of the unit | Nameplate | 5 kW |
| Hours of use per day | The business’s real schedule | 10 hours |
| Operating days per month | The business’s calendar | 26 days |
| Estimated monthly consumption | Power times hours times days | 1,300 kWh |
| Load factor | The compressor does not run all the time; refined by measurement | Defined when measured |
| Condition of the unit | Technical inspection | A dirty unit uses more than the same unit clean |
The result is an upper bound, because the compressor does not run continuously. Getting closer to the real value requires measuring the unit’s consumption in operation, which is part of the performance check Climatiza describes in its air conditioning maintenance service, along with temperatures, pressures, electrical components and refrigerant.
What raises consumption, and by how much
Each cause in the table shows where the figure comes from. Those attributed to Climatiza appear on its service pages; those from the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) were checked in their publications.
| Cause | What happens | Figure and source |
|---|---|---|
| Dirty condenser | The unit uses more energy to reject heat | Up to 20% more in small commercial refrigeration, per a 2023 study cited by Climatiza |
| High condensing temperature | The compressor works harder | 2 to 4% more consumption per degree Celsius, per technical literature cited by Climatiza |
| Filters not changed | Dirt reaches the coils | Cleaning a dirty coil is far more labor intensive than replacing filters, per the DOE O&M guide |
| Dirty coils | More load on the system and more electricity | Described in the DOE O&M guide |
| Dirty or salty environment | Outdoor coils get dirty sooner | May need cleaning two or three times per cooling season, per the DOE |
| Corrective maintenance only | Action is taken once the unit already fails | Studies cited by the DOE estimate savings of 12 to 18% in maintenance cost over reactive mode |
| Uncorrected deficiencies | Units that run but are poorly tuned | Median energy savings of 16% when fixed in existing buildings, per LBNL |
The operations and maintenance guide from the DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program estimates that O&M programs targeting energy efficiency can save 5 to 20% on energy bills without a significant capital investment. The LBNL study, by Evan Mills, analyzed 643 non-residential buildings and found a median saving of 16% in existing buildings after deficiencies were fixed, with a payback of 1.1 years. These are US buildings and commissioning projects, so they are references and not promises for a Panamanian venue.
The Panama factor: climate and salt air
According to the Climatiza website, equipment in Panama works twelve months a year, with high humidity and, by the sea, with salt air. Manual maintenance intervals were written for installations that rest for several months, and here they do not rest. The Climatiza air conditioning maintenance page says each visit checks coils with special attention to corrosion on units exposed to salt air.
The guide on air conditioning by the sea and salt air details how a coastal unit deteriorates. If a unit no longer cools as before, the guide on what to check when the office air conditioning stops cooling sorts out the first checks.
How to review a venue’s consumption, step by step
- List the units with make, model, capacity and installation year. This is the base of the inventory an asset survey produces.
- Note the electrical power on each nameplate and the real hours of use per day.
- Compare the estimated consumption with the electricity bills of recent months to spot units that use too much.
- Check filters and coils on indoor and outdoor units, more often in dirty environments or by the sea.
- Verify drains, refrigerant and electrical components, which are part of the Climatiza preventive visit.
- Rank the units by criticality and remaining life to decide which to repair, which to watch and which to replace.
- Set a visit calendar with a written report per visit so each unit’s history is recorded.
Common mistakes
- Confusing BTU with kW. BTU measures cooling capacity; electricity use comes from the kW on the nameplate.
- Waiting for a breakdown. According to the DOE guide, more than 55% of the maintenance resources of an average facility are still reactive.
- Looking only at the bill. A broken unit shows itself; an inefficient one keeps cooling while using too much, as the Climatiza website notes.
- Using the manual interval without adjusting it to the climate. Manufacturer intervals can fall short with year-round operation.
- Treating every venue the same. A kitchen with refrigeration does not have the same needs as an office; for restaurants, Climatiza has a specific page on air conditioning and exhaust.
Climatiza proposes starting with an HVAC asset survey: a technical inventory of the venue’s equipment, with condition and criticality, that makes it possible to build a maintenance plan on real data.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does a business’s air conditioning use?
It depends on its electrical power, hours of use and condition, and is calculated in kWh by multiplying kW by hours. There is no single figure; the nameplate and the bill make an estimate possible.
What share of commercial electricity does air conditioning use in Panama?
A 2017 La Prensa report citing the Energy Secretariat puts it at 42% of commercial sector electricity demand. It is a figure from several years ago and is read as an order of magnitude.
What makes air conditioning use more electricity?
Mainly dirt on condensers, coils and filters, and running without preventive maintenance. Climatiza cites a study that measured up to 20% more consumption with a dirty heat exchanger in small commercial refrigeration.
Does preventive maintenance lower the bill?
It can lower maintenance cost and consumption, according to the DOE guide and the LBNL study, which found a median 16% energy saving when deficiencies were corrected. Results depend on each installation.
How often should coils be cleaned in Panama?
There is no single official interval. The DOE says that in dirty environments outdoor coils may need cleaning two or three times per cooling season, and Climatiza says to check them closely by the sea.
This content is informational and the consumption figures are indicative; on-site measurement is done by a qualified technician.
Related articles
- Air conditioning maintenance contract for businesses in Panama: what it should include
- Air conditioning by the sea in Panama: how salt air attacks equipment and what to do
- The office air conditioning stopped cooling: what to check in the first hours
Sources
All sources were checked on October 9, 2026. La Prensa and Climatiza pages are in Spanish.
- La Prensa, regulated air conditioners (July 28, 2017).
- DOE, Operations and Maintenance Best Practices Guide, Release 3.0.
- Mills, E., Building commissioning: a golden opportunity for reducing energy costs, Energy Efficiency, 2011 (LBNL).
- Climatiza, air conditioning maintenance for businesses in Panama.
- Climatiza, HVAC asset survey in Panama.
- Climatiza, air conditioning and exhaust for restaurants in Panama City.
Ask about this article
Type your question and we will show you the answer inside this article or in other Radar Panamá publications.
