Determinants of Rural Household Energy Choices: An Example from Pakistan

‘Multiple fuels-multiple choice’ is a common notion associated with the energy choice theory. Following the same theoretical framework, this study aims to identify: (i) existing sources of energy (ii) the associated factors that determine a household choice of a particular source of energy. The study is based on primary data collected from 100 randomly selected households in two villages in northwest Pakistan. The study found that rural households, though having access to multiple sources of energy, persistently depend on biomass fuels for domestic energy consumption. Nonetheless, rural households exhibit inter-fuel switching according to changes in their socioeconomic conditions. The study concludes that income is not the only determinant of transition from traditional to more convenient forms of energy, other factors such as access to alternative energy sources and consumer preferences also account for a household energy choice.

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