Uptake of induction stoves sluggish in low-income Indian households

E-commerce platforms person seen mounting request for induction cooktops amid the West Asia crisis, which has led to nationalist anxiousness astir disruptions to LPG supplies. While prices for cooktops person gone up, supplies remained disposable connected e-commerce platforms successful galore cities, astatine slightest arsenic of Wednesday (March 11, 2026).

While a tiny number of Indian households usage induction cooktops, lone 5% of households had “electric penetration” successful their kitchens, Milind Deore, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s Secretary said successful a treatment held backmost successful 2024.

The merchandise conception is competitory online with products selling astatine little than fractional of their sticker price. On Amazon, a 1,800 watt cooktop by Pigeon was retailing astatine ₹1,499, ₹100 higher than its terms past week, and higher than its terms successful the past 3 months.

However, that terms is inactive little than fractional the maximum retail terms for this circumstantial model. Other models connected Amazon, which lone provides terms past for 90 days, person seen akin trends. A 2,000 watt Cadlec cooktop is besides retailing astatine ₹1,499, but its earlier terms was ₹300 less. A akin terms hike happened for a cooktop by iBELL Castor.

Uptake friction

There are adoption symptom points for electrical cooktops. Even though the request for electrical and induction cooktops is possibly unprecedented, adoption whitethorn beryllium constricted successful astir households. “We did a household survey of 910 households successful the debased to mean income group,” Rudrodip Majumdar, adjunct prof astatine the National Institute of Advanced Studies said successful the 2024 Modern Energy Cooking Forum (MECF) held successful New Delhi.

“Many of these households, they really lacked [electric] load bearing capableness successful the kitchen. About 13% of households had nary 5 ampere plug; 64% of households had lone 1 15 ampere plug; and 47% of households did not person immoderate 15 to 20 ampere plug, which is really the indispensable portion of the electrical cooking appliances,” helium pointed out.

Even with a hypothetical request aggregation programme bringing prices down for idiosyncratic buyers by 50%, Mr. Majumdar said an electrical cooking setup whitethorn beryllium excessively costly to follow for astir households.

Lost opportunity

The deficiency of broad argumentation enactment to electrical cooktops would exposure Indians to planetary lipid fluctuations, 4 presenters from the International Institute for Sustainable Development warned successful 2024. LPG maturation “exposes Indian consumers (who are already facing affordability barrier) to planetary fluctuations successful lipid prices”, the researchers said successful a presentation.

In a survey, the researchers said astir municipality households who switched to “e-cooking” did truthful arsenic a “back-up” oregon due to the fact that they were young professionals moving to a caller spot facing difficulties successful getting an LPG connection.

A cardinal situation the researchers identified was that it takes a agelong clip to navigator connected an induction cooktop with a azygous heating unit, and treble units are “currently precise costly and travel with a full powerfulness standing of much than 3kWh”. Double units outgo upwards of ₹8,000 astatine the clip of the research.