Drivers of household demand for cooking energy: A case of Central Uganda

Abstract

In Uganda, the total primary household energy consumption is mainly biomass. Lack of empirical information remains a daunting challenge to operationalization of strategies and policies aimed at reducing unsustainable energy use. This study specifically determined household demand for different cooking energy sources (briquettes, charcoal and firewood). Data were collected from a sample of 235 households with the help of pretested structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR). From the econometric analysis, results revealed that briquettes demand was significantly influenced by fuel expenditure, briquette price, gender of household head, main occupation and source of fuel. Further, charcoal demand was influenced by fuel expenditure, household size, charcoal price, district and fuel restriction. On the other hand, demand for firewood was influenced by household income, firewood price, fuel expenditure, household size and source of the fuel. From our findings, it is recommended that tailored trainings on sustainable exploitation of biomass resources for energy supply should be conducted across the country. In addition, there is need for such trainings to target women, who are the decision makers with respect to household energy supply. Lastly the study recommends the need for low-cost briquetting technologies that would reduce its price to levels that are competitive to charcoal and firewood.