Rural household electricity consumption

Household electricity consumption shows large local and international variations, as is the case in most features of rural energy use. These variations are broadly related to income. Families with higher disposable incomes tend to consume more electricity. The length of time a family has had a connection also has an effect - family consumption usually grows with time. Consumption may also be significantly affected by costs, climate, culture, reliability of supply, and a variety of other factors. In some countries, for example, the utility sets such high building construction and house wiring standards for new consumers that electricity supplies are effectively restricted to upper-middle-class families who are likely to use a wide variety of appliances once they have access to the electricity supply. Other countries apply few such restrictions, and utility supplies are open to anyone who can afford the connection fee. This admits many poor families whose consumption is likely to be restricted to lighting.

Where lighting is the only significant use of electricity, monthly consumption tends to be in the range of 10 to 20 kWh monthly. Two 40-watt incandescent bulbs used for five hours each night, for example, have a monthly consumption of 12 kWh. A radiocassette player and a small fan can be used for 10 hours each day for an additional consumption of 10 to 15 kWh per month. A small color TV used for 6 hours a day will add a further 10 kWh a month. A family could accommodate all these uses, as well as that of an electric iron, within a consumption range of 50 to 60 kWh monthly.

The use of appliances with greater energy requirements pushes consumption up considerably. A refrigerator uses about 50 kWh and a freezer around 100 kWh monthly. Cooking, depending on the method used and the type of meals cooked, can use from 10 kWh up to 50 kWh each month. Water heating and, above all, air conditioning bring much higher consumption levels.

Table 3.3 provides a detailed breakdown of rural electricity consumption in the Philippines by end use and income group. It is based on an ESMAP (1992) survey of a total of 2,500 rural households and lists typical monthly consumptions by end use for consumers with particular appliances. It also gives a breakdown of the average consumption of the five income groups. In general, it shows that for each end-use, consumption increases with income. It also shows that some end uses - such as freezers, water heating, and air conditioning - are entirely confined to the upper-income groups. The bottom line of the table shows the average total consumption for each income group, ranging from 17 kWh monthly for the lowest up to 69 kWh monthly for the highest.

Table 3.3 Electricity Consumption by End Use and Income Group in the Philippines

(kilowatt hours)

Monthly consumption by income group quintile
End use	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	All
Lighting	12	14	27	16	20	19
Ordinary refrigerator	37	31	42	42	49	46
Freezer	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	34	98	88
Black-and-white TV	5	7	8	6	6	6
Color TV	8	2	8	8	10	9
Air conditioner	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	233	233
Iron	5	5	8	11	11	10
Fan	5	4	5	6	8	7
Cooking	n.a.	13	16	21	45	35
Water heating	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	13	20	19
Water pumping	n.a.	n.a.	8	24	22	21
Washer	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	16	16
Other	3	3	11	3	5	5
All uses	17	19	45	36	69	44

n.a. = not applicable.

Source: ESMAP (1992).

Although similar surveys in other countries will reveal considerable local differences in the total consumption figures and how they vary among income groups, the broad patterns are likely to be similar. It would certainly be expected that the tendency for higher-income families to have more end uses and to consume greater amounts of electricity would be repeated.