Dominant factors for energy choice decisions by households in Tanzania: A case study of selected villages in Mvomero District

Household choice of energy sources for various social-economic activities has been associated with improved community livelihood and ecosystem quality. In this study, the multinomial probit model (MNP) was employed to establish the dominant factors for energy choice decisions by households in the five wards of Mvomero District. The results indicate the extent to which households’ use of various renewable energy sources for cooking, lighting and heating is low. Besides, the study reveals that households’ income has a significant influence on their energy choice decisions for different social-economic activities i.e. solar PV (Pvalue = 0.010), wood (Pvalue = 0.066), charcoal (Pvalue = 0.051), hydro-electricty (Pvalue = 0.066), natural gas (Pvalue = 0.014) and kerosene (Pvalue = 0.098).In addition, the benchmark of the descriptive results against the achievement of millennium development goals (MDGs), especially goals 1 and 7, indicates low achievement due to households’ lack of access to clean, reliable and affordable energy sources. Hence, the reviewed MDGs and MNP results can be used by energy policymaking instruments in the country to make informed decisions for clean energy investment needs as well as organizing households’ sensitization forums on the benefit-costs of energy sources used for various social-economic activities.