Fuel Use and Design Analysis of Improved Woodburning Cookstoves in the Guatemalan Highlands

This study examined the fuel use and design of an improved woodburning cookstove (plancha) in comparison to traditioonal cooking using an open woodfire in the Guatemalan Highlands. These cookstoves were introduced into a portion of study households that had previously used open woodfires. This research consisted of: (1) a 4-day Kitchen Performance Test (KPT) in 12 households to examine fuel use; and (2) single-day participant observation in 5 households to support understanding of efficiency and to examine stove design. In both parts of the study, plancha households were compared to households using open fires for cooking. The results of the KPT do not show statistically significant differences in fuel use between the two cooking methods. Increased study power – through an increase in sample size, for example – may have resulted in a statistically significant difference; however these data suggest that any difference in fuel savings may not be of practical significance. The qualitative data provide useful insights into the fuel use characteristics of the cookstove and key elements of its usability. Practical and experimental recommendations for future stove fuel use studies are presented, as well as recommended directions for continuing work in this area