REDGAS: A randomized evaluation of the demand for LPG stoves and of the associated effects on household air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and well-being in Burkina Faso

Abstract

We evaluate an intervention aimed at reducing air pollution in Burkina Faso by encouraging households to switch from wood or charcoal to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as their main cooking fuel. We randomize 820 households to a subsidy treatment, a credit treatment and a control group. Treated households receive an offer to purchase a gas stove from a local retailer at a discounted price or at the market price with the option to pay in three installments. We estimate the effects of these capital costs subsidies and consumption loans on the adoption and intensity of use of LPG over a six-month period following treatment. We also generate estimates of the effects of the interventions on 24-hour individual exposure to fine particulate matters (PM$_2._5$).