Rich Delhi and Tamil Nadu homes make biggest shift towards electric cooking

CEEW study found that penetration of e-cooking was 10.3% in urban homes, and just 2.7% in rural. Overall, just 5% of households across the country have shifted to this mode of preparing meals

Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Assam, and Kerala are leading the transition towards electric cooking according to a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Residents in these states are choosing e-cooking devices such as induction cooktops, rice cookers, and microwave ovens over Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

“In Delhi and Tamil Nadu, 17 per cent of households have adopted some form of electric cooking, while in Telangana, the rate of adoption stood at 15 per cent. In Kerala and Assam, 12 per cent of households have partially switched to e-cooking,” the CEEW study found.

The CEEW study found that penetration of e-cooking in urban households at 10.3 per cent while that in rural homes was just 2.7 per cent. Overall, just 5 per cent of households across the country have adopted this mode of cooking.

“At the current LPG prices, eCooking will be more cost-effective than LPG for households getting subsidised electricity. However, high upfront cost and perception barriers have limited the uptake within urban households,” the study found.

Domestic (14.2 kg) LPG prices have risen to record highs across the country. A domestic cylinder now costs Rs.884.50 apiece in the national capital. These are the highest prices at which domestic LPG cylinders have been sold in the country.

But LPG is still primary cooking fuel

The CEEW study also found that 93 per cent of e-Cooking adopters still rely on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as the primary cooking fuel and use eCooking devices as a backup.

“Electricity-based cooking is mostly prevalent among affluent families in urban areas, especially in states like Delhi and Tamil Nadu where electricity rates are economical compared to other states like Maharashtra,” the CEEW study said.

The study is based on the India Residential Energy Survey (IRES) 2020, conducted in collaboration with the Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP). These findings are based on data collected from nearly 15,000 urban and rural households across 152 districts from the 21 most populous states.

“Affordability is the most important factor that drives adoption of any cooking fuel. Hence, affluent urban households in states with relatively higher subsidies are likely to witness faster adoption of eCooking,” said Shalu Agrawal, senior programme lead at CEEW.

The CEEW study recommended that the availability of energy-efficient and low-cost devices, suitable financing solutions, and reliable electricity services will be crucial to scale up adoption of electric cooking.