Understanding drivers of fuel stacking among pay-as-you-go LPG customers in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Fuel stacking perpetuates the negative impacts of polluting fuels and limits the potential of clean cooking transitions. The study aims to identify drivers of fuel stacking amongst customers of a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) LPG product provided by MGas in the greater Nairobi area as a basis for designing interventions that reduce fuel stacking. We developed a quantitative telephonic survey tool (n = 1323) to holistically investigate fuel stacking, which was validated by a smaller number of qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 18). Both the survey and interview designs were informed by Perros et al.’s 2022 taxonomy of fuel stacking drivers. Results showed that the main driver of fuel stacking was the incompatibility of PAYG LPG with specific cooking processes that were conducted regularly. This was most frequently due to the expense of heating large quantities of water and cooking long-boiling foods with PAYG LPG – tasks that participants reported are better performed by other stoves and fuels. Participants also faced technical and service-related issues with broken equipment, payment delays and incompatible personal cookware that sometimes rendered them unable to use PAYG LPG. We found weak correlation between self-reported stacking and actual PAYG LPG fuel use. These findings show that a single fuel or cooking technology is unlikely to efficiently and consistently meet all a household’s cooking and water heating needs, and that fuel consumption is not solely driven by stacking practices. Clean energy providers should consider incorporating multiple modern energy cooking services comprising of fuel, stoves and compatible cooking utensils (e.g., pots and pans).