Examining the Experience of Using Electric Pressure Cookers in Urban Households in Kigali, Rwanda

The study found that EPCs significantly displaced charcoal use, particularly for breakfast, and reduced mean charcoal consumption per capita per event by 30%. While the overall daily cost of cooking remained stable at approximately RWF 388 (USD 0.34), users experienced a median meal preparation time saving of 14 minutes. Most participants preferred monthly payment plans and reported high satisfaction, though the limitation of having only one cooking pot was a primary challenge.

• The introduction of EPCs led to a notable decrease in the use of charcoal for meals, with the proportion of meals cooked using charcoal dropping from 67 percent in the baseline phase to 45 percent in the pilot phase. The most significant shift occurred with breakfasts, where charcoal use fell from 54 percent to 20 percent.
• Mean charcoal consumption per capita per event was reduced by 30.2 percent, falling from 0.16 kg (4.21 MJ) during the baseline phase to 0.11 kg (2.94 MJ) in the pilot phase. Additionally, useful energy consumption from charcoal and LPG combined decreased by 31 percent after EPCs were introduced.
• Transitioning to a mix including EPCs did not increase the daily cost of cooking for households; the average cost remained approximately RWF 388 (USD 0.34) per household per day across both the baseline and pilot phases.
• EPCs provided measurable time savings, reducing the median meal preparation time from one hour 44 minutes in the baseline phase to one hour 30 minutes in the pilot phase. Cooking with EPCs and LPG took roughly half the time required for charcoal cooking.
• Monthly payment plans were overwhelmingly preferred by participants, with 86 out of 100 households selecting this option. The default rate for payments was 18 percent, though no participants refused to continue paying.
• EPCs were found to be highly compatible with common Rwandan dishes, specifically rice, beans, cassava leaves, Irish (white) potatoes, bread, matoke (green bananas), and sweet potatoes. However, they were less suitable for heating water or making chips.
• The primary drawback identified by users was the limitation of having only one cooking pot, which made preparing multi-dish meals difficult. Other concerns included the unreliability of power and the perceived high cost of electricity.
• User satisfaction was high, with a Net Promoter Score of 4.9 on a 1-5 scale. 81 percent of participants reported that the EPC met their expectations, and 58 percent stated they would purchase one if they had not already done so through the study.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (n.d.). Examining the Experience of Using Electric Pressure Cookers in Urban Households in Kigali, Rwanda. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-11/report-rwanda-clean-cooking-Nov-10.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Examining the Experience of Using Electric Pressure Cookers in Urban Households in Kigali, Rwanda. n.d. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-11/report-rwanda-clean-cooking-Nov-10.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Examining the Experience of Using Electric Pressure Cookers in Urban Households in Kigali, Rwanda |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-11/report-rwanda-clean-cooking-Nov-10.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforallndexamining, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Examining the Experience of Using Electric Pressure Cookers in Urban Households in Kigali, Rwanda}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-11/report-rwanda-clean-cooking-Nov-10.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }