Assessment of the Potential Adoption of Liquified Petroleum Gas for Cooking in Urban Households and Institutions of Malawi

More than 96% of Malawians relied on wood fuels for cooking and heating in 2018. About 4 million people now use charcoal for cooking in urban areas; resulting in environmental degradation, loss of forests resulting in increased run off, siltation of rivers and depletion of water resources in lakes and rivers in Malawi. This study assessed the potential adoption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as an alternative fuel to charcoal and firewood. A total of 1200 households in three cities were interviewed. Laboratory tests showed LPG as the most efficient cooking fuel tested among electricity, charcoal and firewood. Thermal efficiencies were recorded as LPG 68.1%, electricity 56.2%, Improved Firewood Stove 25.3%, and Improved Charcoal Stove 23.2%. Surveys conducted found that institutions used multiple cooking fuels depending on factors such as availability and cost. While electricity was the most preferred cooking fuel by institutions (54.5%), LPG was reported as back-up fuel for 100% of the institutions surveyed. LPG is perceived as an affordable fuel option by 26.3% of the institutions surveyed. At the household level, LPG-users reported benefits of efficiency (39%); reliability (37%) and cleanliness (27%). While the majority of high-income urban households use electricity for cooking, the majority of low- and medium-income urban households use charcoal for cooking. These results encourage increased investment in development of a nationwide LPG distribution network in Malawi.