Of culture, consumption and cost: A comparative analysis of household energy consumption in Kenya, Germany and Spain

Energy consumption statistics for countries of the Global North and South support the idea that an increasing standard of living and level of technology is coupled with a rise in per capita energy consumption. What might be true on a national level looks different at the household level. In a first step, we compared the household energy consumption of Kenya, Germany and Spain with the result that the energy used per capita in households in Kenya (0.31 toe pc) is estimated to be even higher than in Spain (0.16 toe pc) or Germany (0.23 toe pc), if energy for heating is disregarded. The same is true for the household CO2 emissions in the three countries. The use of firewood or charcoal as main cooking fuel is the main driver for the overall household consumption in Kenya; our result is therefore transferable to a number of countries where firewood and charcoal consumption is at a comparably high level. In a second step, results from a case study on different and diversified households in the small town Mumias in Western Kenya are presented. They confirm what has been found at the macro level and offer additional insights into daily life practices.