Cooking Appliances
Changing from electricity to gas for cooking is not the best environmental decision. Gas production has a higher footprint than electricity production, more energy is wasted when cooking with gas vs. electricity, and in South Africa, gas is extremely expensive compared to electricity. Eskom would love you to cook with gas (and heat your house with gas) as it reduces demand on them. In the US and Europe very expensive electrical induction stoves are slowly making headway – they transfer energy directly to metal pots/pans, are extremely efficient, and nearly as instant as gas in turning heat supply on and off.
Solar cookers are well suited to the individual able to plan ahead. These are large reflectors on which the pot is placed. The reflector gathers the sun's rays and directs it at the pot. The user sets the pot up in the morning, and needs to be around to reposition the reflectors as the sun moves (every few hours for boxes, every 15 min for parabolic reflectors). By lunch time or the evening the meal is cooked. These cookers are a great solution for poorer areas. If you deal with poorer communities, consider introducing these cookers. These will save on firewood, firewood carrying etc.