Households' Electricity Access Challenges and Coping Strategies: A Reference to Informal Settlements in Addis Ababa

Abstract

Lack of access to adequate, reliable, sustainable and affordable electric power
presents numerous socioeconomic challenges to households in informal
settlements. The data for this study was captured from households in Addis
Ababa (Yeka Sub-city, Woreda7 12) and analysed using descriptive statistics
and binary logit model. The study showed that households have very low and
unstable income, live in unauthorized and scattered settlements, lack access to
adequate electric supply, and required to pay unaffordable connection fees and
electric bills. These challenges forced them to take energy conservation and
coping strategies, change food consumption behaviours, and proposed policy
options. The study results revealed that households’ willingness to share the
cost designed to improve electric supply increases with the increase in family
size, the decrease in the number of years lived in the area, reduction in the
number of meals per day, high interest to get legal land title and electric
counters, and if households are currently non-users of energy efficient stoves
and power saving lamps. Households positively respond to electric tariffs
revised based on energy source, the location of the residence place, and
seasonal variations in power supply. The willingness to use temporary and
less power consuming electric services by 93% of non-users of electricity and
share electric meters in groups associated with high connection fees by 73%
could also be used to solve households’ challenges to access electricity.