Using high-frequency household surveys to describe energy use in rural North India during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 continues to exact a substantial toll on health. While mortality and morbidity associated with the pandemic are the most obvious impacts, social and economic disruptions are becoming apparent. There is reason to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed or reversed gains in clean household energy use in rural India. Here we describe phone surveys deployed repeatedly in Jharkhand and Bihar to describe pandemic-related changes in household socio-economic conditions and energy-use patterns. Over three-quarters of households reported hardships during the pandemic, including loss of employment and an inability to search for jobs. In turn, some of these households relied more on polluting fuels. Despite nearly all households preferring gas and electricity, we observed varied behaviours related to the cost of and access to these modern energy sources. We highlight the success of India’s three-free-cylinders scheme, with 90% of households aware of the programme and utilizing at least one free cylinder. These findings illustrate the utility of high-frequency energy-related questionnaires and suggest that interventions to improve clean fuel accessibility and affordability can increase the resilience of transitions to clean household energy.