Census In Brief

3.6 Energy source for cooking, heating and lighting by province*

	Eastern Cape	Free State	Gauteng	Kwazulu- Natal	Mpuma- langa	Northern Cape	Northern Province	North West	Western Cape	South Africa
Energy source for cooking
Electricity direct from authority	306,964	261,311	1,429,910	756,333	213,890	97,247	188,876	241,967	750,190	4,246,688
Electricity from other source	2,308	1,190	2,795	4,278	1,033	652	2,627	1,509	2,225	18,617
Gas	44,603	24,827	34,285	52,691	14,323	17,753	16,555	33,527	48,093	286,657
Paraffin	390,765	223,265	379,994	296,017	104,321	33,091	120,393	264,253	131,761	1,943,862
Wood	503,438	57,611	18,083	490,122	155,675	34,458	620,960	148,532	44,341	2,073,219
Coal	3,785	43,874	82,696	38,877	106,621	2,573	21,122	20,621	662	320,830
Animal dung	71,371	9,660	255	10,533	2,842	109	5,059	6,206	34	106,068
Unspecified /Other	9,113	3,275	16,150	12,085	5,304	1,100	6,865	4,028	5,709	63,629
Total	1,332,348	625,011	1,964,168	1,660,934	604,010	186,984	982,457	720,643	983,015	9,059,571
Energy source for heating
Electricity direct from authority	276,595	242,943	1,376,783	716,048	197,925	89,271	179,581	230,417	700,721	4,010,283
Electricity from other source	2,156	1,095	3,491	4,400	1,218	935	3,080	1,594	2,596	20,567
Gas	11,810	9,064	21,412	22,346	6,104	3,151	8,514	10,536	14,752	107,689
Paraffin	357,587	134,747	184,209	185,592	49,018	18,296	94,527	135,717	135,272	1,294,964
Wood	585,435	85,670	48,357	576,192	175,971	56,069	606,342	200,810	82,879	2,417,724
Coal	14,010	124,060	257,104	62,912	133,542	10,106	36,369	95,072	2,458	735,632
Animal dung	49,232	10,481	497	10,665	2,640	183	5,056	5,653	41	84,447
Unspecified /Other	35,523	16,952	72,316	82,779	37,593	8,973	48,989	40,845	44,297	388,266
Total	1,332,348	625,011	1,964,168	1,660,934	604,010	186,984	982,457	720,643	983,015	9,059,571
Energy source for lighting
Electricity direct from authority	416,112	355,025	1,559,657	883,944	339,865	128,599	355,204	315,170	835,066	5,188,644
Electricity from other source	5,993	2,061	3,255	5,458	1,959	3,537	4,585	2,430	2,903	32,182
Gas	7,715	1,520	3,424	8,006	4,673	501	5,191	1,865	2,616	35,512
Paraffin	514,529	46,011	48,274	86,235	61,594	14,314	241,400	50,657	80,998	1,144,014
Candles	377,213	217,334	331,174	661,996	189,753	38,897	364,817	345,339	56,507	2,583,031
Unspecified /Other	10,786	3,060	18,384	15,294	6,165	1,135	11,261	5,181	4,924	76,190
Total	1,332,348	625,011	1,964,168	1,660,934	604,010	186,984	982,457	720,643	983,015	9,059,571

* Excluding institutions and hostels

Main energy sources used by households for cooking, heating and lighting – October 1996*
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• Forty-seven percent of South African households mainly use electricity for cooking, while 23% mainly use wood, and 22% paraffin. Similar to cooking, 46% of South African households use electricity for heating, while proportionately more – 28% – use wood for heating, and 15% use paraffin. On the other hand, 58% of households use electricity for lighting purposes, while 29% use candles, and 13% use paraffin.