New study on the domestic energy consumption of urban households in the DRC

These studies were supervised by Emilien Dubiez (CIRAD), Gérard Imani (Official University of Bukavu), Augustin Nge Okwe (University of Lubumbashi) and Adrien Péroches (Agrarian Systems Consulting) during April and May this year.

They were conducted as part of the sustainable consumption and partial substitution of wood fuel project coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI).

The aim of this second study, which was very similar to the first, was to :
- characterise household domestic energy consumption practices, and in particular the use of the energy mix ;
- quantify the consumption of firewood, charcoal, electricity, oil and gas at household and city level; and
- gain a better understanding of household beliefs and preferences in terms of cooking habits, and in particular the use of (i) gas and (ii) improved wood and charcoal stoves;
- to characterise changes in household energy use, cooking practices and perceptions;

The studies were carried out in a sample of 500 households in the cities of Lubumbashi, Goma and Bukavu, and 1,000 households in the city of Kinshasa. A total of 2,500 surveys were carried out in all the communes of the study cities, following a stratified sampling plan.

Once the data has been analysed, study reports will be published for each city. A national workshop will be held in Kinshasa at the end of the year to present the results of the project.