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# 1. INTRODUCllON

The existence of reliable, disaggregated information on residential fuel consumption and supply is essential to the formulation of sound household energy strategie-s. Unfortunately, institutions and individuals concerned with data collection and management in many developing countries have often not considered household energy characteristics in the design of their information-gathering exercises. Thus, there is a serious need for carefullydeveloped aad maintained databases on residential fuel demand and supply so that planners and policymakers can identify, quantify and address the key issues relating to household energy. This paper reviews some of the important methodological, theoretical and practical issues that should be considered by organizations which are planning to gather dat;: on domestic energy use. It is based on the experiences of the joint UNDP/World Bank Energy Sectot Managment Assistance Program (ESMAP) in developing household energy strategies, as well as on a review oi the literature and advice from practitioners in the field.' Without comprehensive knowledge of how households acquire and use energy, attempts to develop policies and projects which purportedly seek to improve the welfare of households and/or protect the environment can be futile and even counterproductive. Solid information on fuel prices, quantities consumed and consumer preferences are necessary for interfuel substitution analysis and pricing policies. Knowledge of culinary practices, household decisionmaking on expenditures and stove/oven ownership are crucial in preparing the cooking efficiency component of a demand management program. Data on consumption patterns, biomass supply systems and household attitudes towards the natural resource base are essential to the development of a supply management strategy. Reliance on anecdotal evidence, unrepresentative statistics and theoretical extrapolations to create real policies will amount, at best, to random shots in the dark and, at worst, these shots might hit the wrong targets.

When policies and projects for the residential sub-sector have been implemented in thr nast, the subsequent development and analysis of a household energy database has led to the overturning of irR - a.e preconceptions and false paradigms upon which these real actions had been based. For example, the *ed promotion of LPG as a charcoal substitute in Senegal for the last sixteen years has been based o. ssumptions that increased use of butane would lead to a commensurate reduction in charcoal use, and that cubsidies alone would lead to widespread adoption of the fuel. However, a 1987 survey indicated that, despite th. fact that 65% of households in Dakar possess some type of LPG stove, only 2% use the fuel exclusively and, of the 25% of families which use both LPG and charcoal, their consumption of the latter fuel has not changed. In Niger, it was thought that wealthy residences would be the logical market for modern fuels due to their lifestyles and income levels. However, a 1986 study revealed that they were significant consumers of wood because they could afford to buy in bulk, thus making it the cheapest fuel. Also, family members did not have to suffer the negative health and other consequences of wood fires as servants did the cooking. These are just two instances of how, in the absence of accurate information, well-intentioned prejudgments concerning household energy use have or could lead to misdirected actions and investments.

Thus, representative information on household energy plays a pivotal role for institutions which seek to: (a) identify problems and trends; (b) prepare supply and demand projections; (c) engage in energy sector planning, (d) conduct market research; (e) develop effective policies and programs; and (f) eval?ate ongoing and completed projects. To create this resource, a variety of instruments can be employed. On the demand side, a set of information-gathering tools are briefly assessed and the most promising one -- the household energy survey -- is delineated in more detail. For this type of survey, key considerations are presented concerning overall design, sample selection, questionnaire design, logistics and fieldwork, and data processing. On the supply side, techniques for understanding the dynamics of comnmercial and traditional fuel supply wil be outlined in an upcoming Energy Department paper.

' This paper was prepared by Josef Leitmann (Energy Planner, ESMAP), with the assistance of Zouhair Souissi (Summer Intern, World Bank). Advice from the field was provided by Samir Amous, Doug Barnes, Michel Matly, Gordon McGranahan and Azedine Ouerghi.