Die Heizung verbraucht wenig Strom, sodass die Kosten sinken.

The heating consumes little electricity, so that costs decrease.

Breakdown of Die Heizung verbraucht wenig Strom, sodass die Kosten sinken.

• wenig: little
• die Heizung: the heating
• der Strom: the electricity
• die Kosten: the costs
• sinken: to decrease
• sodass: so that
• verbrauchen: to consume

Questions & Answers about Die Heizung verbraucht wenig Strom, sodass die Kosten sinken.

What does sodass express here, and how is it different from damit?

sodass introduces a result or consequence (so that/as a result). It does not imply intention.

• Die Heizung verbraucht wenig Strom, sodass die Kosten sinken. = The low consumption leads to lower costs.
• damit expresses purpose/intent: Ich drehe die Heizung herunter, damit die Kosten sinken. = I lower it in order that costs go down.

Do I need the comma before sodass?

Yes. A comma is mandatory before a subordinate clause introduced by sodass: …, sodass …

Why is sinken at the end of the sodass-clause?

Because sodass starts a subordinate clause (Nebensatz), where the conjugated verb goes to the end: …, sodass die Kosten sinken. In the main clause, German is verb-second: Die Heizung verbraucht …

Can I write so dass (two words) instead of sodass?

Both sodass and so dass are accepted. The one-word form sodass is the current standard and is what you’ll see most often.

Why is it dass with ss, not daß with ß?

After the 1996/2006 spelling reforms, it’s spelled dass (and thus sodass). daß is outdated spelling.

Should it be wenig Strom or weniger Strom?

• wenig Strom = little/not much electricity (no explicit comparison).
• weniger Strom = less electricity than something else (comparison), e.g. Die Heizung verbraucht weniger Strom als das alte Modell. In your sentence, wenig is fine unless you’re comparing.

What’s the difference between wenig and wenige?

• wenig goes with uncountable/mass nouns: wenig Strom, wenig Zeit.
• wenige goes with countable plurals: wenige Geräte, wenige Euro.

Could I say Elektrizität instead of Strom?

Use Strom in everyday German for electrical power consumption. Elektrizität sounds technical/formal and is uncommon in this context. Natural collocation: Strom verbrauchen.

Why is Kosten plural, and does that affect the verb?

Kosten is typically a plural-only noun for costs/expenses, so you use a plural verb: die Kosten sinken (not sinkt). The singular die Kost exists but means “fare/food,” not monetary cost.

What’s the difference between sinken and senken here?

• sinken (intransitive): something decreases by itself: Die Kosten sinken.
• senken (transitive): someone/something lowers it: Wir senken die Kosten. Your sentence correctly uses sinken.

Why verbrauchen and not brauchen?

• verbrauchen = to consume/use up (standard for energy/resources): Strom verbrauchen.
• brauchen = to need/require. Die Heizung braucht Strom means it requires electricity; colloquially you might hear braucht wenig Strom, but verbraucht wenig Strom is clearer and standard for consumption.

What cases are die Heizung and Strom, and why is there no article before Strom?

• die Heizung is the nominative subject (feminine singular).
• Strom is the accusative direct object (masculine), used as a mass noun without an article: wenig Strom. With mass nouns, German often omits an article when a quantifier like wenig is present.

Can I rearrange the sentence for emphasis or use other connectors?

Yes:

• Topicalization: Wenig Strom verbraucht die Heizung, sodass die Kosten sinken.
• Two sentences with a linking adverb: Die Heizung verbraucht wenig Strom. Deshalb sinken die Kosten. / Daher sinken die Kosten.
• Relative means: …, wodurch die Kosten sinken.

Can I start the sentence with the sodass-clause?

That’s unusual and usually avoided. sodass-clauses most naturally follow the cause. If you want to start with the result, use an adverb like Deshalb/Daher: Deshalb sinken die Kosten: Die Heizung verbraucht wenig Strom.
Alternatively, use the degree construction: Die Heizung verbraucht so wenig Strom, dass die Kosten sinken.

Is there a nuance difference between sodass and so … dass?

• sodass = consequence in general.
• so … dass = degree + consequence, tying so to an adjective/adverb/quantifier: so wenig Strom, dass … Both are correct; the latter emphasizes how little the consumption is.

Why are Heizung, Strom, and Kosten capitalized?

All German nouns are capitalized: die Heizung, der Strom, die Kosten. Conjunctions like sodass are lowercase.

Does Heizung mean the radiator or the whole heating system?

Heizung usually refers to the heating system as a whole (or “the heating” in general). A single radiator is der Heizkörper; a portable space heater could be das Heizgerät. Context decides, but in energy-talk, Heizung typically means the system.