Demand Elasticity and Externalities in the Adoption of Electric Cookstoves in Rural Tamil Nadu and Gujarat

Rural cooking transitions: demand, substitution, health, and gender impacts.

Project Introduction

This study estimates the price elasticity of demand for electric cooking in rural areas, examining how household demand for electric cooking responds to changes in electricity prices. It also investigates the extent to which electric cooking substitutes for traditional solid fuels such as firewood and charcoal once electric stoves become accessible, alongside changes in household cooking behaviours and patterns. The research further explores the time-saving benefits of electric cooking for women, who typically bear primary responsibility for meal preparation, and assesses how access to electric cooking influences self-reported health outcomes and household well-being.

Partners

Researchers

Project Methodology

Data collection began with a listing exercise covering several hundred households in Kathiramangalam village, Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu, and Hemrajpura village, Anand district, Gujarat, with a random sample selected based on access to regular electricity supply and functioning meters. Sampled households were enrolled in a structured process of one baseline, ten midline, and one endline survey over eight months (August 2024–April 2025), covering stove usage, fuel usage, demographics, self-reported health, and household electricity consumption. As part of the intervention, each household received a discount coupon for an electric induction stove and a rebate on electricity bills. Three monitoring devices were installed per household — a HAPEx sensor and pollution pump to measure indoor PM2.5, and a device to monitor electricity consumption — with local survey teams administering surveys in Gujarati and Tamil.

Impact

While analysis is still underway, the project has already provided valuable insight into the constraints associated with adopting electric induction stoves in two distinct regions of India, highlighting the influence of weather conditions, electricity supply reliability, taste preferences, and household design and structure on uptake and sustained use of electric cooking technologies. The project has also enabled DIA to refine and improve strategies for device deployment, insights that can be applied to strengthen implementation in future research initiatives.

Documentation

This project is currently in progress, and will be updated with findings as results arise.

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