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Energy news from Practical Action BP52


Table of Contents

Boiling Point
Front cover of Boiling Point issue 52
Issue 52 (2006) Health, safety and household energy
ArticleEnergy news from Practical Action
AuthorLiz Bates

[top] [end]Boiling Point now and into the future

In 2004, Boiling Point sent out a survey to every reader. This was partly to see if the high cost of sending out print copies was -effective, and partly to see how people felt about the journal. Each edition contained a single twosided questionnaire and an envelope – so those choosing to return the form had to fill in the form and put postage on the envelope. Filling in the form was intended to take around ten minutes maximum.

Of those who responded, 54 were in the North and 108 were from the South. At present these audiences receive a printed copy of the journal and the readership was asked whether they could access it electronically. A summary of the survey results is presented in Table 1:

Table 1: Access to electronic versions of Boiling Point
Table 1: Access to electronic versions of Boiling Point


[top] [end]Readership

The respondents were asked to classify their organisation by a tick-list and it was noted that a high number of respondents were either from NGOs or from academic institutions. The number of academic institutions does not mirror the general readership that is largely NGOs and CBOs – who are also well represented, as shown in Figure 1. It could be argued that the high number of academic institutions taking the trouble to answer the questionnaire is a good indicator of the interest that Boiling Point generates in universities and colleges.

Of the 106 responses which provided data on the number of people reading the journal, a surprising number suggested that more than 10 readers per copy; this probably reflects the high number of academic establishments responding to the survey who wrote down the numbers of students with access to the journal.

Figure 1: Institutions responding to the survey
Figure 1: Institutions responding to the survey


Figure 2
Figure 2


[top] [end]Comments

Perhaps the most interesting part of the survey for an editor was the diverse comments coming from our readers. The most negative responses we received were; ‘Please discontinue my subscription’ and ‘People don’t read English’. On the positive side, there seem to be a strong feeling of ownership and desire for the journal.

[top] [end]Technical & socio-economic articles:

  • When designing a cookstove I had to go through many issues to see if a better design could have been produced to avoid duplication
  • Explanations accompanied by illustrations. Vast case studies that have a bearing on many other situations and a number of lessons to be learnt by the reader
  • ...have helped me to fabricate a briquetting machine for converting charcoal wastes into briquettes
  • BP was helpful during our work on Economic Analysis of Rural Pollution in Northern India
  • Experts on rural women affairs and rural development technology read it
  • Articles related to gender / women and energy have been used / circulated amongst network members
  • Practical articles [...] provided information of value to resourcepoor farmers visiting the information centre
  • We need a hard copy to show people who visit our facility that efficient stoves are real and air quality is a world problem, not something we are making up
  • The new ideas, case studies and the resources it mentions. I prefer the print version because I share it with volunteers who don’t have access to computers. It lacks colourful pictures, but we understand about the cost. We often make copies of articles and use them in our training events and also share with Moroccan counterparts
  • We have used BP to answer practical questions from our farmers
  • We pass the information on to our grassroots partners in developing countries. BP is a resource tool for us to share with our partners.

[top] [end]On readership

  • The research and training unit library which is my responsibility services a number of programmes.Most are rural based or remote and they look forward to the Boiling Point magazine
  • I copy articles for partners in rural areas in East Africa who have no access to internet nor fax, sometimes I would have more articles for illiterate women in villages, even a poster for a women’s group how to do this and that
  • I pass the printed copy around to workers in our organization that do not have computer access
  • We have an information centre of technology. Maybe 5–10 persons read our copies
  • Over 500 people as it is placed in a library
  • 1300 people for reading of Boiling Point
  • All 13 staff of my NGO with a multiplying effect of 5

[top] [end]Future plans

As those of our readers with computer access will know, the HEDON Household Energy website (www.hedon.info) provides a wealth of information on household energy. In the future, Boiling Point will not only deliver the same quality of information in the paper edition, but will have the following additional features:
  • An electronic version of the journal distributed to those who would prefer this format
  • An online interactive version of Boiling Point articles as part of the HEDON Knowledge Base, allowing everyone to make comments and suggestions on the articles.
  • The articles will also be linked to the author’s profiles and other relevant documents and projects on the site.
  • For those without web access, there will be a section in the subsequent issue of Boiling Point for comments and feedback and news from the household energy community.

HEDON is committed to reaching those without access to computers as well as those who can use the web. This is a time of transition, and as editor for the past few years I would urge everyone who enjoys Boiling Point to think about what they can do to make it even better in the coming years. If you have not written for the journal before, then why not disseminate your work to a worldwide audience.

If you have used the journal in the past in one of your projects, why not write a letter to the new editor describing what has been achieved.

Additional funding is always welcome as sending it out at no cost is very expensive indeed.

Boiling Point has been going now since 1982, with ongoing support from both Practical Action (then ITDG) and GTZ. I would like to sign off by wishing HEDON every success, and paying tribute to the original editor Ian Grant whose vision and dedication led this journal from two pages of A4 paper stapled together in the corner into a journal very similar to today's version.

[top] [end]Download the original article

pdf file link Energy news from Practical Action (152 KB)

[top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 52 - Health, safety and household energy

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Theme editorial: Household energy for life - Update on the health and climate impacts of household solid fuels - Spreading innovative biomass stove technologies through China and beyond - Pollution factors affecting health and safety in rural Zimbabwe - Protecting children from indoor air pollution exposure through outdoor cooking in rural South Africa - Direct contact hazards of cookstoves - Burns, cuts, and scalds - Introducing alcohol stoves to refugee communities - GTZ News BP52 - Household energy, indoor air pollution and health at the 14th session - The effect of ventilation on carbon monoxide and particulate levels in a test kitchen - Methanol stoves for indoor air pollution reduction in Delta State Nigeria - Solar cooking and health - Fuel briquettes from wastes - Charcoal making from agricultural residues - What's happening in household energy BP52? – Energy News From Practical Action BP52





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