Busting Household Energy Myths in SA Using Research to Inform Action Presented by: Dehran Swart Senior Project Manager Press briefing 1 June 2012

Despite the successes of South Africa’s electrification program, the South African Department of Energy has indicated that 3.4 million households currently do not have access to electricity across South Africa An excerpt from proceedings at the 2012 conference for domestic use of energy. Energy use & South Africa’s poor

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Types of energy sources used in low-income households

Energy use & South Africa’s poor Electricity access and use among paraffin users is predominantly centred around meeting lighting and cooking needs. A considerable proportion of paraffin users also have access to electricity in their homes. Just over a third of electrified households surveyed were connected illegally. N=12159

Causes of Fires

Paraffin ingestions account for 25% of all ingestions recorded! The top three injury types recorded in the database are 1) scalds/liquid burns, 2) other ingestions, and 3) flame burns Scalds and flame burns account for 56% and 27% of all burns recorded. Prevalence of Energy-related Injuries

Age categories and Poison Ingestions

Types of Burn Injuries Across Age Categories

Energy Sources Implicated in Burn Injuries