Experimental Evidence on Increasing Demand for Electric Cooking in Nepal

To reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change, many countries are adopting electrification policies to encourage consumers to shift from burning fossil fuels. In Nepal, where electricity generation is mostly hydropower and therefore associated with low levels of GHG emissions, the government is encouraging consumers to adopt electric cooking. Little evidence exists, however, as to how best to do so. Even less is known regarding how electric cookstove adoption affects energy use and electricity consumption. This randomized experiment in Kathmandu, Nepal provides evidence on the two lines of inquiry.

To address the first, the RCT will experimentally tests methods of increasing adoption: subsidies for electric stoves and the associated cookware, information on the recurring costs of stove use, and details on the pollution and health effects of cooking.

To address the second, we will use the experimentally-induced variation in adoption to estimate the effects on energy use and electricity consumption.