Can Heat Retention Bags Reduce Charcoal Consumption? Pre-Analysis Plan of a Field Experiment in Eastern DRC

In this pilot experiment, we test whether Heat Retention Bags (HRBs) constitute a credible solution to reduce charcoal consumption in a low-income urban setting in Sub-Saharan Africa. We study HRB adoption and their impact on household charcoal demand in the city of Goma, provincial capital of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo – where over 90% of households rely on charcoal for cooking. We distribute a HRB to 40 households without access to electricity and track their charcoal consumption over time. Charcoal purchases constitute a financial burden for households, representing 20% of household expenditures. Its production further causes significant environmental damage in the nearby protected forests of Virunga National Park and is a source of revenue for armed groups in the region. We conduct high-frequency data collection using survey data and stove use monitors to assess the adoption of HRB, and rely on survey data to assess whether adoption leads to a reduction in household charcoal consumption.