Urban residential energy use in Kandahar, Afghanistan

• Residential sector has significant share in total energy consumption in urban Afghanistan.
• Cooking is the major end-use activity and fuelwood is the dominant fuel in the households.
• Increase in residential energy consumption and transition to modern fuels are likely.
• Policies have larger role to play in ensuring the transition and addressing sustainability.

The paper presents an insight to the household energy consumption in urban Afghanistan, and is based on household surveys conducted in one of its growing cities – Kandahar. The analysis shows that the energy consumed in residential sector has the major share in the total energy consumed in urban Afghanistan. About 72% of the total residential energy is spent for cooking purposes, and firewood is still the predominant form of energy with a share of around 58% for different end uses. Details on current energy process and the energy expenditure for different income levels have been presented. Although the total energy consumption in urban household is relatively lower in Afghanistan, the paper argues that the increase in consumption and transition to modern fuels is likely with increased urbanization, socioeconomic development and improved electricity supply. Against the backdrop of likely increase in energy use, the issue of sustainability becomes significant and therefore, policies are key to ensuring energy development taking into consideration sustainability concerns.