Household Energy Utilization and Changing Behaviours: Evidence from Western Kenya

Abstract

The impact of rising household energy demands on the development of various regions in Kenya is not clearly understood due to lack of energy consumption behavior data among rural and urban households. The purpose of the study was to investigate households’ energy consumption behavior and examine factors that influence this behavior among households in rural and peri-urban areas in Western Kenya. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 560 households in the counties of Bungoma and Uasin Gishu. Results showed that rural households are dependent largely on kerosene and electricity for lighting purposes and majorly firewood for cooking, while electricity and charcoal form a major source of energy for lighting and cooking in peri-urban households respectively. Also, a small fraction of households uses solar panels as their source of energy for lighting among other uses. Further, results shows that household energy utilization is characterized by multiple fuels use, conforming to energy stacking theory rather than energy ladder hypothesis. Generalized linear model (GLM) results on household energy utilization supported the energy ladder model which showed income level as the most influencing factor. Renewable energy use for cooking showed a reduction of firewood and charcoal as household energy sources. The research findings offer insights to enhance household energy policy making in Kenya and countries alike.