Abstract
Detrimental effects exerted by biomass-based traditional cookstoves on health, environment, hygiene, and the soaring price of gas makes it imperative to investigate the feasibility of electric cooking as a promising clean cooking fuel in the context of Bangladesh. However, the adoption of electric cooking is unlikely to be welcomed if the monthly cost of electricity consumed by the electric cooking appliances is not comparable to traditional cooking fuels. So far, no study has been reported in this respect. Therefore, this paper is aimed to assess the energy consumption of available electric cooking appliances for cooking typical Bangladeshi dishes. Estimated monthly electricity cost of electric cooking is also reported and then compared to that of traditional cooking fuels. For the study purpose, three respondent families were provided with a rice cooker, hot plate, induction cooker and electric pressure cooker for cooking their daily meals. After four months of use, data related to dish cooked, amount of food, cooking time, and energy consumption were collected which shows that hot plate and rice cooker were the least preferred appliances due to their poor workmanship and limited use respectively. On the contrary, despite the fact that electric pressure cookers cannot perform all types of frying, it was the most preferred appliance owing to its ability to significantly reduce the cooking time and its less energy consumption. Induction cooker was less preferred for the additional requirement of compatible cook pots. The study also reveals that monthly energy requirements for electric cooking varied from 72–87 kWh corresponding to a cooking electricity bill ranging from BDT 504–609 per month (USD 6–7.5) which is less expensive as compared with biomass and LPG based cooking. This paper also highlights the prospects and challenges associated with the adoption of electricity as the primary cooking fuel in Bangladesh.
Highlights
Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the last decade and has made great strides with a whopping increase in per capita GDP from USD 702 in 2009 to USD1968 in 2020 [1]
This study presents an estimate of the monthly energy consumption and associated energy bill if electric cooking appliances completely replace traditional fuels such as biomass and gas
In a country like Bangladesh, where women spend a long span of time in the kitchen and jeopardize their health and quality of living at the expense of relatively expensive cooking fuels such as biomass and gas, the use of electricity for cooking can be a promising solution and win the confidence of the consumers by ensuring the quality, cost, and expertise of cooking appliances
Summary
Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the last decade and has made great strides with a whopping increase in per capita GDP from USD 702 in 2009 to USD1968 in 2020 [1]. The power sector has witnessed a monumental growth in the last decade with a generation capacity of 25,171 MW (2021), where more than 90% of the total population has access to electricity, and the annual per capita electricity consumption has escalated to 510 kWh in 2021 [3] Owing to this alluring economic growth and elevated access to electricity, a positive trend can be seen in the consumption pattern of numerous electric home appliances ranging from small scale to large scale in urban areas and in peri-urban and rural areas . According to the annual report from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the utilization factor of the overall power sector has dropped from 43% in 2019 to 40% in 2020 [4] This phenomenon introduces a concern that surplus generation capacity can mount up overhead costs
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