Fuel stacking and stove choice decisions: a discrete choice model of Sri Lankan household preferences for clean cooking solution

Abstract

Transition from non-clean cooking fuels to clean cooking fuels is a sustainable development requirement which needs to be addressed at a household level. Household decisions play a crucial role in terms of cooking transition and preference towards product specific factors. Developing countries need to address this problem immediately as it faces socioeconomic challenges which are complex. The presence of improved consumer products according to consumer’s preference for cooking fuels in these regions acts as a major motivator for cookstove adoption. Hence, understanding household preference for clean cooking solutions is useful for policy makers and organisations involved with the cooking fuel supply chain and product development. In order to better understand household decision-making in Sri Lanka, a stated preference survey and discrete choice model were constructed. With the exception of price and usage cost factors for the dirty stacking households, the study indicated that the product-specific factors explored have a significant impact on stove and fuel choices. Instead, energy switching, in which LPG and electricity supplement and increase a household's energy portfolio, is more likely.