Abstract:
Over 90% of the population in Uganda depends on biomass as source
of energy (MEMD, 2009). The technologies used to convert biomass to
energy are highly traditional. Urban and rural dwellers use
predominantly metal charcoal stoves and traditional three-stone
stoves, at efficiency less than 10% (Okello et al., 2013). This puts
Uganda’s forests and its growing population under tremendous
pressure. No-wonder, Uganda features a high deforestation rate of
about 2.2% (Nampewo, 2013). Adoption of energy conserving
technologies such as improved biomass cook stoves could conserve
energy and reduce environmental degradation. Thus, there is a need to
assess qualitative aspects of stove performance and compare their
impact on fuel consumption in households. The aim of the study was to
evaluate the performance of improved wood cooking stoves for
monitoring household biomass energy interventions in Uganda.