Climate Change Adaptation: Energy efficient stoves can save 75% fuel energy

If we go energy efficient by popularizing energy efficient fuel stoves among rural populations depending on firewood and timber, we can save up to 75 percent of fuel energy (especially from the firewood) which was previously utilized in burning the traditional stoves.

“The introduction of Energy Efficient Cooking Stoves (EECS) Technology is a great step ahead on the front of saving the crucial energy. An energy efficient stove is a new technology that is replacing our traditional stoves. Traditional stoves are big threat to firewood consumption and forest degradation. These smokeless stoves are less harmful to the women during cooking, will save them from many diseases like asthma, and will, of course, help in reducing environmental degradation by reducing the cutting of wood in the rural areas to lit the stoves,” explained Dr Mahmood Khwaja, an environmentalists at SDPI.

A great thing about these stoves is that they are not only available in tin-made form but also can be produced locally using the traditional ways and materials like clay. The clay is mixed with its other constituent materials inside the mold and is left there for sometime. When the mold is lifted, the clay-made energy efficient stove is ready to be used. The mould is light in weight and can be easily transported from one place to another.

Using these stoves in Pakistan can really work wonders as the majority of the people living in far flung areas use the wood collected from environment to fuel their traditional stoves. Even the 11 slums in the outskirts of the capital of Pakistan have no other alternative than collecting wood from the natural habitats and using it to light up their stoves. Replacement of these traditional stoves with these energy efficient ones is sure to contribute substantially in preserving the wood not only in the capital but throughout the country that is facing a hasty depletion due to unchecked cutting for domestic use.

“Introduction of these stoves in Pakistani Rural localities will reduce the use of biomass energy that will eventually reduce emission of carbon dioxide – a major environmental polluter. Moreover, the reduced collection of fuel wood will not only lessen pressure on local forest ecosystem but also result in relieving the women from the heavy workload they previously had to shoulder as these stoves once lit last longer than the traditional three-stone fireplace,” told Anusha Sherazi, Project Associate at SDPI while talking to INFN.

It is the need of the hour that the people should prefer these stoves to save their money and the government should also play its due role to help the dream of transformation towards energy efficiency in Pakistan materialize into a reality. If we did not pay heed to projects like these, the energy supply deficit ratio which currently stands at 25% will jump to drastic figures i.e. 54% in a matter of a decade and it will mean no less than an energy death for Pakistan.