Learning from cooks: a user-centred approach to help transform household energy use

The document discusses the health, environmental, and climate impacts of traditional biomass fuel use for cooking, noting that 2.7 billion people rely on such fuels. It argues that previous efforts to introduce efficient stoves failed because they neglected user needs and preferences. To address this, SEI is employing stated-preference survey tools and qualitative 'generative' ethnographic research to understand household decision-making and desires.

• Approximately 2.7 billion people worldwide use traditional biomass—including wood, charcoal, animal waste, and agricultural residues—as their primary energy source, primarily for cooking. The inefficient burning of these fuels in poorly ventilated areas causes an estimated 1.6 million deaths annually due to acute respiratory infections.
• Inefficient biomass cookstoves contribute to deforestation and global warming by producing black carbon (soot), which is identified as the second-largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide.
• Long-term adoption of efficient cookstoves has been hindered by a failure to understand the specific needs, preferences, and constraints of users. In response, SEI implemented the Household Energy Economic Analysis (HHEA) from 2008-2010 using stated-preference survey tools, and has since adopted qualitative 'generative' ethnographic research to capture overt and tacit user knowledge.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2012). Learning from cooks: a user-centred approach to help transform household energy use. https://www.sei.org/publications/learning-from-cooks-a-user-centred-approach-to-help-transform-household-energy-use/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Learning from cooks: a user-centred approach to help transform household energy use. 2012. https://www.sei.org/publications/learning-from-cooks-a-user-centred-approach-to-help-transform-household-energy-use/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Learning from cooks: a user-centred approach to help transform household energy use |date=24 April 2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/learning-from-cooks-a-user-centred-approach-to-help-transform-household-energy-use/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2012learning, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Learning from cooks: a user-centred approach to help transform household energy use}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/learning-from-cooks-a-user-centred-approach-to-help-transform-household-energy-use/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }