ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Determinants of Rural Household Energy Choices:
An Example from Pakistan
Inayatullah Jan1, Humayun Khan1, Shakeel Hayat2
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1Institute of Development Studies (IDS),
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar, Pakistan
2Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2012;21(3):635-641
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
‘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.