Measuring and explaining household access to electrical energy services: Evidence from rural northern India

Abstract

Household electrification aims to provide populations with access to a wide range of energy services for social and economic development, ranging from lighting to electric cooking. Electrification policy has historically focused on grid connections, however, rather than household capabilities to satisfy energy service needs. We explore a representative panel dataset of households from rural areas of six states across northern India in order to link distinct dimensions of electricity supply with electrical energy service utilisation. Using a regression framework, we show that household electrification policy in India must look beyond connections and consider disaggregate dimensions of supply, paying special attention to supply availability measured in hours per day. Following electrification, households surveyed were highly likely to utilise lighting and ICTs regardless of availability, while an improvement of 12 h was associated with higher likelihoods of space cooling (12.3%-points [CI: 10.7 to 13.9]) and entertainment (13.4%-points [11.2 to 15.6]) services utilisation. In contrast, mechanical loads, thermal loads, refrigeration and electric cooking remain constrained by household wealth and other factors. Disaggregate supply analysis supports the shift towards electrification policy that unlocks desired capabilities while using all available technologies, both grid and off-grid, to achieve more just outcomes for all.