Firewood demand and energy policy in south-central Chile

A. SCHUEFTAN, J. SOMMERHOF; A. D. GONZALEZ

Energy for Sustainable Development

Elsevier

Año: 2016 vol. 33 p. 26 - 35

Firewood is the major fuel for household heating in south-central Chile and combustion of wood is the majorsource of air pollution by particulate matter (PM) emissions in this region. This paper discusses various strategiesfor lowering emissions from household wood combustion and their effectiveness in reducing air contamination.A survey of 2025 households and previous analysis performed with these data showed large consumption ofwood fuel for heating in dwellings in Valdivia. The main variable identified is the lowthermal efficiency of householdenvelope. Low efficiency of household envelope, low comfort, and a large share of income dedicated to energy,determines a high level of energy poverty. We have modeled the thermal retrofitting of dwellings underthree efficiency scenarios, including stoves? and house?s envelope improvements. Retrofitting houses led to energypoverty alleviation; in contrast, improvement of heating appliances alone does not alleviate energy povertynor improve indoor comfort.