Cook Stove - Improved Cook Stoves

Improved Cook Stoves

Improved Cook Stoves (ICS) are designed to reduce the fuel consumption per meal and to curb smoke emissions from open fires inside dwellings. They are designed for developing country settings as a low cost bridging technology. It is generally claimed that the new designs burn the wood (or other fuel) more efficiently. Evidence refers to significant reductions on firewood consumption, time consuming wood extraction and respiratory diseases. Important features may include a pipe (chimney) to vent the smoke and a different chamber design.

There are various designs, such as the Lorena stove and the ONIL Stove which uses mortar-less concrete blocks in its construction and costs $150 USD per stove. Another design is the Berkeley-Darfur stove that reduces smoke and is twice as efficient as a clay stove, with the goal of reducing the need for women to leave the camps in search of wood.

The most fuel-efficient type of cooker is the solar cooker, which uses no fuels of any kind. These devices of course require clear sunlight, but they are practical in many of the sunny regions of the world.