The applicability of “willingness to pay” for the diffusion of energy-efficient domestic stove technologies in the Southern African market

It has been demonstrated that the adoption and sustained use of safe, inexpensive and energy efficient stove designs by domestic households could lead to a significant reduction of carbon emissions and the sustainable use of renewable resources. The intention of this paper is to prove that the use of choice experiments incorporating “willingness to pay” surveys as part of a social marketing strategy are a necessary adjunct to achieve the implementation of energy efficient stove technologies on a wide enough basis to make significant contributions to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and to sustainability goals (i.e. biodiversity, climate change and poverty alleviation).A “willingness to pay” survey conducted in the Mamelodi East region of Gauteng, South Africa suggests that choice experiments can contribute to the development of a successful social marketing strategy prepared for poorer people, predominantly women.