Improved cook stove (ICS) is a device that is designed to improve combustion efficiency of biomass, consume less fuel, save cooking time, convenient in cooking process and creates smokeless environment in the kitchen or reduction in the volume of smoke produced during cooking against the traditional stove.

Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) promotes both mud-brick and metallic ICS. Metallic ICS is for High Mountain and Hilly region (above 2,000m.) and Mud-brick ICS is for Terai region.

Benefits of ICS

Impact on Environment
Fuel wood consumption reduced by about half

• 30 to 90 percent reduction in indoor air pollution
• Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by about 2.5 ton carbon dioxide per year per stove

2 pot plain mud-brick ICS

Institutional ICS

Metallic ICS

Impact on Health

• Fewer respiratory disease, particularly lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia among children and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) among women
• Fewer eye problems as well as other health problems such as headache
• Reduced fire hazard in the kitchen

Impact on Gender

• Reduced drudgery of women as they spend less time collecting firewood, cooking and washing dishes
• Improved health of women due to reduced exposure to smoke
• Increased participation by men in kitchen work because of clean environment