Understanding the Drivers of Appliance Adoption Over Time: Evidence from Rural Kenya

Abstract

Despite the potential of electricity to transform rural livelihood in under-served communities, the impact of rural electrification on appliance ownership and usage in different contexts is not clear. Understanding the patterns of appliance adoption can provide multiple advantages in forecasting growth of residential energy demand. This study employs a bottom-up approach to investigate the relationship between the years since households have had access to electricity and the ownership of various appliances in a rural community in Kenya.