Total energy access standards
Poor people's energy outlook
The Poor people's energy outlook 2010 (PPEO) details the actual needs of those affected by energy poverty and suggests attainable targets for poor people's access to energy services - defined as the Total Energy Access standards.
The report identifies the six key energy services that all people need, want and have a right to: lighting, cooking and water heating, space heating, cooling, access to information and communication technologies, and energy for earning a living. In this way, the PPEO seeks to move beyond the typical focus on energy sources and electricity - which so often dominate energy data collection and reporting - to reveal more clearly the real range of needs for energy at the household, enterprise and community levels.
The Total Energy Access approach is designed to inspire the development community to elevate the importance of access to energy. Using these standards to measure the key energy services provides a detailed view of a household's situation, and the progress towards development.
Practical Action proposes the Total Energy Access standards, with the hope that they will stimulate further debate and a move towards consensus on an international standard for total access to energy.
Total Energy Access standards
| Energy service | Minimum standard | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting | 300 lumens at household level |
| 2 | Cooking and water heating |
1 kg woodfuel or 0.3 kg charcoal or 0.04 kg LPG or 0.2 litres of kerosene or ethanol per person per day, taking less than 30 minutes per household per day to obtain Minimum efficiency of improved wood and charcoal stoves to be 40% greater than a three-stone fire in terms of fuel use Annual mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) < 10 μg/m3 in households, with interim goals of 15 μg/m3, 25 μg/m3 and 35 μg/m3 |
| 3 | Space heating | Minimum daytime indoor air temperature of 12C |
| 4 | Cooling |
Food processors, retailers and householders have facilities to extend life of perishable products by a minimum of 50% over that allowed by ambient storage All health facilities have refrigeration adequate for the blood, vaccine and medicinal needs of local populations Maximum indoor air temperature of 30C |
| 5 | Information and communications |
People can communicate electronic information beyond the locality in which they live People can access electronic media relevant to their lives and livelihoods |
| 6 | Earning a living |
Access to energy is sufficient for the start up of any enterprise The proportion of operating costs for energy consumption in energy-efficient enterprises is financially sustainable. |
The Energy Access Index
The Poor People's Energy Outlook has developed the Energy Access Index to measure energy access on the supply side. The index measures the three main supply dimensions of energy access - household fuels, electricity and mechanical power. It assigns a numerical value to people's experience of accessing energy supplies, with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest level of access.
| Energy supply | level | Minimum standard |
|---|---|---|
| Household fuels | 1 | Collecting wood or dung and using a three-stone fire |
| 2 | Collecting wood and using an improved stove | |
| 3 | Buying wood and using an improved stove | |
| 4 | Buying charcoal and using an improved stove | |
| 5 | Using a modern, clean-burning fuel and stove combination | |
| Electricity | 1 | No access to electricity at all |
| 2 | Access to third party battery charging only | |
| 3 | Own low-voltage DC access for home applications | |
| 4 | 240 V AC connection but poor quality and intermittent supply | |
| 5 | Reliable 240 V AC connection available for all uses | |
| Mechanical power | 1 | No access to mechanical power. Hand power only with basic tools |
| 2 | Mechanical advantage devices available to magnify human/animal effort | |
| 3 | Powered (renewable or fossil) mechanical devices available for some tasks | |
| 4 | Powered (renewable or fossil) mechanical devices available for most tasks | |
| 5 | Mainly purchasing mechanically processed services. |
This level of detail is a significant move away from the traditional perception of the "haves" and "have nots". It recognises the importance of the quality of supply and highlights the spectrum of supply levels. A greater level of detail of the implications of energy supply on the lives of people living in poverty is provided in the report.
The index can be used to measure the energy access of an individual household, or if included in a village or national census, could characterise simply and clearly, but in unprecedented detail, energy supply quality at community and country levels.
The PPEO calls on the development community to elevate the importance of energy access. Measuring the status and progress of energy supply developing countries using the Energy Access Index encourages this aim.
Read more in the Poor People's Energy Outlook report
