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Pay-as-you-go liquefied petroleum gas supports sustainable clean cooking in Kenyan informal urban settlement during COVID-19 lockdown

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  • Shupler, Matthew
  • O'Keefe, Mark
  • Puzzolo, Elisa
  • Nix, Emily
  • Anderson de Cuevas, Rachel
  • Mwitari, James
  • Gohole, Arthur
  • Sang, Edna
  • Čukić, Iva
  • Menya, Diana
  • Pope, Daniel

Abstract

Approximately 2.8 billion people rely on polluting fuels (e.g. wood, kerosene) for cooking. With affordability being a key access barrier to clean cooking fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), pay-as-you-go (PAYG) LPG smart meter technology may help resource-poor households adopt LPG by allowing incremental fuel payments. To understand the potential for PAYG LPG to facilitate clean cooking, objective evaluations of customers’ cooking and spending patterns are needed. This study uses novel smart meter data collected between January 2018-June 2020, spanning COVID-19 lockdown, from 426 PAYG LPG customers living in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya to evaluate stove usage (e.g. cooking events/day, cooking event length). Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted in August 2020 to provide context for potential changes in cooking behaviours during lockdown. Using stove monitoring data, objective comparisons of cooking patterns are made with households using purchased 6 kg cylinder LPG in peri-urban Eldoret, Kenya. In Nairobi, 95% of study households continued using PAYG LPG during COVID-19 lockdown, with consumption increasing from 0.97 to 1.22 kg/capita/month. Daily cooking event frequency also increased by 60% (1.07 to 1.72 events/day). In contrast, average days/month using LPG declined by 75% during lockdown (17 to four days) among seven households purchasing 6 kg cylinder LPG in Eldoret. Interviewed customers reported benefits of PAYG LPG beyond fuel affordability, including safety, time savings and cylinder delivery. In the first study assessing PAYG LPG cooking patterns, LPG use was sustained despite a COVID-19 lockdown, illustrating how PAYG smart meter technology may help foster clean cooking access.

Suggested Citation

  • Shupler, Matthew & O'Keefe, Mark & Puzzolo, Elisa & Nix, Emily & Anderson de Cuevas, Rachel & Mwitari, James & Gohole, Arthur & Sang, Edna & Čukić, Iva & Menya, Diana & Pope, Daniel, 2021. "Pay-as-you-go liquefied petroleum gas supports sustainable clean cooking in Kenyan informal urban settlement during COVID-19 lockdown," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:292:y:2021:i:c:s0306261921002762
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116769
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    3. Nikolas Schöne & Boris Heinz, 2023. "Semi-Systematic Literature Review on the Contribution of Hydrogen to Universal Access to Energy in the Rationale of Sustainable Development Goal Target 7.1," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-42, February.
    4. Hollands, A.F. & Daly, H., 2023. "Modelling the integrated achievement of clean cooking access and climate mitigation goals: An energy systems optimization approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Nikolas Schöne & Raluca Dumitrescu & Boris Heinz, 2023. "Techno-Economic Evaluation of Hydrogen-Based Cooking Solutions in Remote African Communities—The Case of Kenya," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-33, April.
    6. Perros, T. & Allison, A.L. & Tomei, J. & Aketch, V. & Parikh, P., 2023. "Cleaning up the stack: Evaluating a clean cooking fuel stacking intervention in urban Kenya," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    7. Das, Upasak & Biswas, Shreya, 2023. "Fuelling down after a lockdown: Effects of the first COVID wave on clean fuel usage in India," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    8. Bipin Adhikari & Sophie Suh Young Kang & Aaryan Dahal & Salum Mshamu & Jacqueline Deen & Christopher Pell & Lorenz von Seidlein & Jakob Knudsen & Thomas Chevalier Bøjstrup, 2025. "Acceptability of improved cook stoves-a scoping review of the literature," PLOS Global Public Health, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(1), pages 1-21, January.
    9. Shittu, Ibrahim & Abdul Latiff, Abdul Rais Bin & Baharudin, Siti 'Aisyah, 2024. "Closing the clean cooking gap: Which policies and institutional qualities matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    10. Iva Čukić & Chris Kypridemos & Alex W. Evans & Daniel Pope & Elisa Puzzolo, 2021. "Towards Sustainable Development Goal 7 “Universal Access to Clean Modern Energy”: National Strategy in Rwanda to Scale Clean Cooking with Bottled Gas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-19, July.
    11. Jayshree Dutta & Santosh Kumar Sahu, 2025. "Access to cleaner cooking fuel in India: the regional and gender disparities," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 11645-11674, May.
    12. Matthew Leach & Chris Mullen & Jacquetta Lee & Bartosz Soltowski & Neal Wade & Stuart Galloway & William Coley & Shafiqa Keddar & Nigel Scott & Simon Batchelor, 2021. "Modelling the Costs and Benefits of Modern Energy Cooking Services—Methods and Case Studies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-28, June.

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