Webinar3 on Cooking Energy in Displacement Settings ( Q and A)

What would be the incentive to communities relying on conventional cookstoves and firewood, and enjoying the smoking taste in their food, to shift to modern cooking technologies and cleaner fuels?

Iwona Bisaga - MECS: Among some other benefits which end-users could find encouraging for them to switch would be time-saving (no/less time spend collecting fuel; faster cooking), health benefits (less eye irritation, alleviation of respiratory diseases etc.), servicing of products if there is a warranty/continued maintenance offered by the provider, and often also no detectable difference in taste. Additionally, ease of use, less/no burns when handling cooking, less/no harm risk to family members

Is it important, do you think, to have a support service with such products? QUBE are establishing an anaerobic digestion 'doctor service' where the company has 'boots on the ground' when individuals/camps have problems on the ground.

Iwona Bisaga - MECS: Most definitely. A quick and efficient maintenance service can boost chances of continued use and buy-in from the end-users/customers, and improved customer satisfaction which can then translate into positive word of mouth, ie customers recommending the products/services to others.

Another question on safeguarding private sector-led interventions, do we have more insights on how price may have increased as private sector ventures into riskier markets, which may, in turn, tax the already vulnerable population?

Iwona Bisaga - MECS: Re safeguarding: that's true that prices might be raised as companies enter more risky and challenging settings. end-user financing (schemes such as pay as you go) can be impactful, or both demand- and/or supply-side subsidies, where available. Grants which are specifically tied to end-user subsidy can achieve the same effect. Once scale is reached, prices can go down as the perceived risk on the provider's side goes down.