Uganda Stove Manufacturers Ltd (Ugastove), which developed out of a small family stove making business in 2000, is committed to reducing the strain on Uganda’s natural resources through manufacturing improved cookstove technologies. In collaboration with Impact Carbon and JP Morgan Climate Care, Ugastove now distributes its energy-efficient cookstoves across Uganda through the Efficient Cooking with Ugastoves project. The project utilizes carbon financing to help subsidize stove prices and ensure Ugastove availability to all community members. Carbon financing has been critical for increasing sales, improving stove quality, reaching more people and scaling the size and impact of the project.
Ugastove produces an improved charcoal stove and a rocket wood stove for household use, and an institutional stove for use in hospitals and schools; community feedback during the initial design phase guided stove design to ensure improved cookstoves met the needs of consumers. Rigorous stove performance tests revealed that the improved charcoal Ugastove reduces fuel consumption by an average of 35 percent — and as much as 50 percent in some cases — and the rocket wood Ugastove reduces fuel needed by an average of 58 percent. Improved institutional wood stoves also significantly reduce fuel consumption rates, with an average savings of 45 percent. As part of participating in a Voluntary Gold Standard cookstove project, an independent third party monitors stove performance and usage. This monitoring not only helps to track emissions for accurate carbon offset calculations, but also provides Ugastove with user feedback in order to continually improve their products.
Reduced charcoal consumption and the subsequent financial savings and health benefits for families using Ugastoves are evident social benefits of this project. In Kampala, where low-income families spend as much as 15 percent of their annual income on cooking fuels, the cost savings are substantial, with average-sized families using Ugastoves saving more than 300 kg in fuel and $75 USD per year. The stoves, which come with a one-year warranty, last an average of three years, with usage data indicating that 62 percent of stoves are still in use after three years. Stove users report that Ugastoves are easier to light than traditional stoves, emit less heat, have increased stability and allow cooks to simmer foods. More than 80,000 Ugastoves have been sold since 2005, with sales rates increasing from less than 10 residential charcoal stoves per day in 2005 to more than 100 stoves per day in 2010. As this project continues to grow and generate more carbon offsets, revenues will be reinvested in the community to ensure increased access to healthy, high-quality affordable cookstoves in Uganda.
Please see the Bulletin #27 Awards Supplement [1] for an interview with Ugastove's David Mukisa.
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