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Bboxx Cook: Overcoming the global challenge of clean cooking

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Bboxx Cook: Overcoming the global challenge of clean cooking
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Thursday 29th July 2021 -Over 4 billion people lack access to clean cooking. 4 million deaths occur prematurely each year due to household air pollution (2021, IEA). Inaction on the clean cooking crisis is not just having a profound human impact, it costs the world over $2.4 trillion each year (2021, World Bank). The use of charcoal and wood cause significant emissions of greenhouse gases and black soot, and the reliance on these fuels is major contributor to deforestation. 60-80% of black carbon emissions in African and Asian countries coming from household cooking (2013, Bond et al.)

At Bboxx, we believe energy access is a basic human right. Clean, reliable, and affordable energy unlocks a future otherwise not possible. Our ambition to end energy poverty goes beyond powering homes and communities with Solar Home Systems, with an increasing focus on other cleaner energy sources. Clean cooking is a crucial frontier in achieving UN SDG 7 – affordable and clean energy for all.

The transition to clean cooking sources

Access to modern cooking solutions has positive impacts on health, gender equality, and results in economic growth opportunities. At Bboxx, our clean cooking solution – Bboxx Cook – uses Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) which is significantly cleaner and a vital step in the energy transition to low and zero-carbon sources.

As a leading next generation utility, we are the first company to combine pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar energy services with pay-as-you-go cooking solutions. Our innovative Internet of Things (IoT) technology and experience from over a decade of delivering PAYG Solar Home Systems business, are all needed to deliver clean cooking in a scalable and distributed model. Bboxx has been applying this expertise to PAYG LPG clean cooking through pilots in the Democratic Republic of Congo (collaboration with USAID in rolling out smart meter LPG), Rwanda and Kenya, utilising PayGo Energy’s smart metering technology.

Bboxx Cook LPG comes in various configurations – 12.5 KG and 6 KG cylinders with a standard stove. The primary use case is urban and peri-urban households and micro business that are transitioning to cooking with LPG for the first time. These customers were typically cooking with charcoal, firewood, or kerosene prior to becoming Bboxx customers.

The real-life impact

“As a working woman, I found it very difficult to cook with coal in the evening after work. It always took a long time and we always had to eat late. Using the Bboxx Cook LPG stove was a real relief. Firstly, it’s quick, keeps my kitchen clean and saves me money.

Secondly, the after sales service is very good and makes me feel even better. I used to spend about $30 a month on a bag of coals, but with Bboxx Cook, I spend almost half of that. I am very happy with Bboxx Solar Home System but even more happy with my Bboxx Cook kit.” (Masika Kyeya Doude, DRC)

“Honestly, I was always afraid of gas. I thought it could blow up my house just by touching the stove or the cylinder.

But after being educated by a Bboxx Cook agent in the shop, I decided to try the Bboxx Cook kit. During the installation of my kit, the technical team not only educated me on the proper use of the kit, but I tested it myself and it was amazing. I am now cooking safely and regularly at home.  Thank you Bboxx.” (Kakule Ghislain Visika, DRC)

Smart solutions for clean cooking
Our clean energy solutions are designed to leapfrog traditional infrastructure to ensure we can meet the needs of the under-served (and often hard to reach) communities. Our comprehensive management platform, Bboxx Pulse®,is central to remotely managing the Bboxx Cook value chain and delivering the optimum service for our customers.

Crucially, in addition to the core management, tracking and payment functionality, Bboxx Pulse®, in partnership with PayGo Energy generates a wealth of data points on consumer consumption behaviour, product telemetry and payment patterns. The platform also enables NGUs to predict the LPG nation-wide LPG demand.

This year, we formally launched Bboxx Cook after pilots in several countries and we are excited to celebrate our first 1,000 LPG customers who have access to a modern and cleaner cooking solution for the first time. This is just the beginning.