Understanding the Differences between Cookstoves

The growing interest in clean cooking, with its potential benefits for human health, environmental protection, and climate change, has prompted development specialists to reconsider the quality and performance of cook stoves. Governments, donors, and development organizations want to ensure that the cook stoves they promote meet standards that will yield the greatest possible benefits over time, when adopted and used properly. Households need to understand differences in cook stove performance if they are to select those that represent the best value for money. In this context, the report presents problems of traditional cook stoves; benefits of fuel-efficient cook stoves; potential benefits of advanced combustion cook stoves; and can cook stove performance be measured?