The Fuel Ladder

A common concept in household energy analysis is the 'fuel ladder'. The concept implies that with socio-economic development, the fuel used by a household will change. To the fuel-users concerned, the top of the ladder looks more attractive, which can mean more convenience, more prestige, greater efficiency, or more of some other preferred quality, as well as a feeling of being more modern. For instance, in South Asia climbing the fuel ladder generally means stepping up from dung cakes to crop residues, wood, kerosene and gas, finally to electricity. In many parts of Southeast Asia charcoal has a very high position on the ladder, perhaps even on the top. Climbing up the fuel ladder also implies climbing up a health ladder, given present technologies for stoves and combustion commonly in use in Asia. Generally, wood does not cause as much smoke as crop residues or dung cakes, and gas and electricity do not cause smoke in the kitchen at all.

Various factors will determine whether or not the household is able to move up its preferred ladder. The main factors are household income and size, availability and costs of the fuel, availability and cost of the required appliances, climate, settlement size and culture and tradition. Further, a variety of user-specific values and judgements often remain implicit. Users make their own choices based on their own perceptions with regard to fuels, stoves, kitchens and related issues.

In the 1980s, it was still believed that energy transitions away from wood and biomass were an option. We now know that that these are not realistic for the larger part of Asia's population. Even climbing up the lower rungs of the fuel ladder is feasible only for some groups. Thus, in the domestic sector, every effort should be made to improve health conditions. This will need policies and interventions co-ordinated among at least the public health sector, extensionists, educationalists and energy technologists.

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