Everybody stacks: Lessons from household energy case studies to inform design principles for clean energy transitions

Shankar, Anita; Quinn, Ashlinn; Dickinson, Katherine L.; Williams, Kendra N.; Masera, Omar; Charron, Dana; Jack, Darby; Hyman, Jasmine; Pillarisetti, Ajay; Bailis, Robert; Kumar, Praveen; Ruiz-Mercado, Ilse; Rosenthal, Joshua P.

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111468

Cited by 138 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Of those households reporting use of LPG for cooking (as either a primary or secondary cooking fuel), four-fifths (81%) used it alongside a polluting solid fuel (wood or charcoal). It is well established that this “fuel stacking” is the norm for many households across SSA, Asia and Latin America [ 34 , 35 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ]. The benefits of clean cooking with LPG are clearly reduced with a greater amount of fuel stacking with solid fuels and kerosene.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of the Adoption and Exclusive Use of Clean Fuel for Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa: Learnings and Policy Considerations from Cameroon

Pye

Ronzi

Ngahane

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Household air pollution (HAP) caused by the combustion of solid fuels for cooking and heating is responsible for almost 5% of the global burden of disease. In response, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended the urgent need to scale the adoption of clean fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). To understand the drivers of the adoption and exclusive use of LPG for cooking, we analysed representative survey data from 3343 peri-urban and rural households in Southwest Cameroon. Surveys used standardised tools to collect information on fuel use, socio-demographic and household characteristics and use of LPG for clean cooking. Most households reported LPG to be clean (95%) and efficient (88%), but many also perceived it to be expensive (69%) and unsafe (64%). Positive perceptions about LPG’s safety (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 2.04, 3.05), cooking speed (OR = 4.31, 95% CI = 2.62, 7.10), affordability (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.38, 2.09), availability (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.72, 2.73), and its ability to cook most dishes (OR = 3.79, 95% CI = 2.87, 5.01), were significantly associated with exclusive LPG use. Socio-economic status (higher education) and household wealth (higher income) were also associated with a greater likelihood of LPG adoption. Effective strategies to raise awareness around safe use of LPG and interventions to address financial barriers are needed to scale wider adoption and sustained use of LPG for clean cooking, displacing reliance on polluting solid fuels.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of the Adoption and Exclusive Use of Clean Fuel for Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa: Learnings and Policy Considerations from Cameroon

Pye

Ronzi

Ngahane

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Challenges for cleaner cooking intervention development and implementation include the limited consideration for household needs and cultural preferences [ 18 ], unreliable access and financial constraints. These factors may contribute to household ‘stove stacking’ [ 21 ] whereby women continue to use traditional stoves alongside ICS, thus, retaining traditional modes of cooking [ 22 ]. Research across East Africa has highlighted the past failure of policy makers to understand issues around affordability, acceptability and accessibility of solutions [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Cooking Activity Patterns and Perceptions of Air Quality Interventions among Women in Urban Rwanda

Campbell

Bartington

Woolley

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Household air pollution (HAP) from biomass cooking with traditional stoves is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) worldwide. Air quality interventions such as improved cookstoves (ICS) may mitigate HAP-related impacts; however, poor understanding of contextual socio-cultural factors such as local cooking practices have limited their widespread adoption. Policymakers and stakeholders require an understanding of local cooking practices to inform effective HAP interventions which meet end-user needs. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 36 women residing in biomass-cooking fuel households in Kigali, Rwanda to identify cooking activity patterns, awareness of HAP-related health risks and ICS intervention preferences. Overall, 94% of respondents exclusively used charcoal cooking fuel and 53% cooked one meal each day (range = 1–3 meals). Women were significantly more likely to cook outdoors compared to indoors (64% vs. 36%; p < 0.05). Over half of respondents (53%) were unaware of HAP-related health risks and 64% had no prior awareness of ICS. Participants expressed preferences for stove mobility (89%) and facility for multiple pans (53%) within an ICS intervention. Our findings highlight the need for HAP interventions to be flexible to suit a range of cooking patterns and preferred features for end-users in this context.

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“…These settlements suffer from overcrowding, with limited water/sanitation facilities and cooking typically done in a single, multipurpose room. Household energy sources can be variable in these environments outside the context of a pandemic; cooking fuels may be routinely ‘stacked’ (combination of clean and/or polluting fuels) 26,27 or primary fuels switched from clean to polluting fuels (‘reverse switching’) due to unexpected/seasonal changes in income. 28,29 Thus, financial hardship brought about by a mandatory lockdown can potentially spur community-level reverse switching, leading to household PM 2.5 level increases above the World Health Organization (WHO) Indoor Air Quality guidelines, 30,31 which can be intensified by tightly-packed housing, as smoke can infiltrate neighboring homes 32 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Lockdown in a Kenyan Informal Settlement: Impacts on Household Energy and Food Security

Shupler

Mwitari

Gohole

et al. 2020

Preprint

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A COVID-19 lockdown may impact household fuel use and food security for ~700 million sub-Saharan Africans who rely on polluting fuels (e.g. wood, kerosene) for household energy and typically work in the informal economy. In an informal settlement in Nairobi, surveys administered before (n=474) and after (n=194) a mandatory COVID-19-related community lockdown documented socioeconomic/household energy impacts. During lockdown, 95% of participants indicated income decline or cessation and 88% reported being food insecure. Three quarters of participants cooked less frequently and half altered their diet. One quarter (27%) of households primarily using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking before lockdown switched to kerosene (14%) or wood (13%). These results indicate the livelihoods of urban Kenyan families were deleteriously affected by COVID-19 lockdown, with a likely rise in household air pollution from community-level increases in polluting fuel use. To safeguard public health, policies should prioritize enhancing clean fuel and food access among the urban poor.

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Everybody stacks: Lessons from household energy case studies to inform design principles for clean energy transitions

Cited by 138 publications

References 53 publications

Drivers of the Adoption and Exclusive Use of Clean Fuel for Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa: Learnings and Policy Considerations from Cameroon

Drivers of the Adoption and Exclusive Use of Clean Fuel for Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa: Learnings and Policy Considerations from Cameroon

Investigating Cooking Activity Patterns and Perceptions of Air Quality Interventions among Women in Urban Rwanda

COVID-19 Lockdown in a Kenyan Informal Settlement: Impacts on Household Energy and Food Security

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