The effectiveness of household energy transition interventions in a coal-using community on the South African Highveld

Access to clean and affordable household energy sources is regarded as one of the primary drivers of sustainable socio-economic development. In many parts of the world energy poverty and use of dirty energy sources persists, for a diversity of reasons including lack of availability and affordability of cleaner alternatives. Residential coal use on the South African Highveld is such a case. This study provided a unique opportunity to research the effectiveness of and satisfaction with the installation of four clean household energy interventions implemented in KwaZamokuhle, a low-income coal-using community on the South African Highveld in 2015. The region regularly experiences poor outdoor air quality and the traditional coal stoves that are used exacerbate pollution levels for the residents. This research is a follow up study and made use of questionnaire surveys to gather data on energy use patterns and satisfaction of participant households five years after they were provided with either an improved coal stove, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) stove and heater, electricity voucher, or electric stove and heater. Dwellings of participant households had also been fitted with insulation on the ceilings and outside walls. Findings indicated that the LPG and electric appliances both resulted in a sustained move away from coal for many households, with an electric stove being preferred for cooking by all households and the LPG heater still used by at least 70 % of recipient households after five years. Electric appliances are also preferred by non-participating households, although the poor heating capability of the electric heater and frequent electricity outages are challenges. The findings of this study suggest that successful interventions to transition households away from coal use need to concurrently reduce energy demand (for example, through insulation and energy efficient appliances) and align with natural preferences for electricity and fuel stacking when selecting alternative energy carriers and appliances.