The Evolution of Rural Household Electricity Demand in Grid-Connected Communities in Developing Countries: Result of a Survey

Abstract

The expected electricity demand level of unelectrified communities is one of the variables that guide rural electrification planners and electricity distribution utilities in making the choice of extending electricity grid to such communities and in using appropriate sizes of distribution assets such as transformers. This study presents the result of a survey to determine the level of household electricity demand in two villages in South-West Nigeria. The electricity demand is determined using a bottomup approach which traces the household electricity demand through the purpose of use, the type and number of electrical appliance, and the duration of use. The result shows that most respondents will use bulbs for up to 8 hours per day but those who own refrigerators will power it for over 16 hours per day. The level of electricity consumption in the households sampled range from 0.38–20.56 kWh/day. Policy implications are discussed.