The Impact of Household Energy Interventions on Health and Finances in Haryana, India: An Extended Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Authors: Ajay Pillarisetti, Dean Jamison, Kirk R. Smith

Citation:

Abstract:

The authors examine the use of solid fuels as a primary energy source for cooking in India, which contributes to high rates of infant and child mortality as well as other diseases caused by household air pollution (HAP). To achieve the widespread adoption of one of three interventions – a mud chimney stove, a blower stove, and LPG use—the government needs to offer subsidies to households using solid fuels. Each intervention is studied in a hypothetical for Haryana, India, and findings indicate effective avoidance of ill health despite additional fuel costs on households; however, the findings are influenced by the assumption that use of time previously spent collecting fuel is repurposed for economic return. The study also assumes widespread adoption of the new cooking technology, and most likely this scenario is overly optimistic. While the reduction in disease burden varies among the three scenarios, each lowered health and financial burdens not only by reducing medical costs, but also by averting household expenditures or avoiding lost wage earnings.