Lock-in for lighting: The puzzle of continued kerosene use among electrified households in six Indian states

Abstract

Electricity is the most commonly used form of energy for artificial lighting in modern society. Despite a rapid growth in the rate of electrification, 9% of electrified Indian households in our six sampled states continued to use kerosene as their primary lighting fuel in 2018. This appears as a puzzle considering the benefits of electric lights. Using a panel survey of rural households in six states in India, we examine why some grid-connected households primarily used kerosene lamps for illumination. We use a logistic regression model to test our hypothesis regarding the relationship between primary lighting choices and electricity quality. The results show that household primary lighting choices are correlated with nighttime duration of electricity service, daytime duration of electricity service, and the number of days without any electricity connection, at the 99% confidence level. Among these three factors, nighttime duration of electricity service has the greatest impact. To further promote the use of electric lights, intensive schemes to improve electricity quality are needed.