Ensuring Clean Cooking Access Through Standards and Testing: A Milestone for Nepal
The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) is celebrating a significant milestone in advancing clean cooking solutions in Nepal: the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) has officially approved new national standards incorporating electric pressure cookers and infrared hobs. This landmark decision, made during NBSM’s 114th council meeting on February 12, 2025, underscores the critical role of standards and testing in ensuring high-quality, high-performing clean cooking solutions.
CCA has played a pivotal role in developing these newly approved standards, providing financial and logistical support as well as technical expertise through consulting firms such as Nepal Energy Foundation and CLASP. In 2019, CCA supported Nepal with the development and implementation of standards for electric induction cookers and hotplates, as well as safety standards for household and General Electric cooking appliances. This included upgrading equipment to suit International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards in a biomass cookstove testing lab at the Renewable Energy Testing Station.
The new standards approved this month include:
- NS XXX:2081 Household and Similar Electrical Appliances – Safety Part 2: Particular Requirements for Electric Pressure Cookers
- NS XXX:2081 Performance Standards for Electric Pressure Cookers
- NS XXX:2081 Performance Standards for Infrared Hobs
- NS XXX:2081 Household and Similar Electrical Appliances – Safety Part 2: Particular Requirements for Infrared Hobs
The Importance of Standards and Testing in Clean Cooking
Reliable standards and rigorous testing are fundamental to achieving universal access to clean cooking. Standards ensure that cooking appliances meet essential safety, performance, and efficiency benchmarks, helping protect consumers while fostering market confidence. By setting clear performance criteria, these standards drive innovation and enable manufacturers to produce high-tier clean cooking solutions that deliver tangible health, environmental, and economic benefits.
Moreover, standards play a crucial role in unlocking carbon finance. High-quality, efficient cooking technologies that adhere to well-defined performance criteria can demonstrate verifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This, in turn, strengthens their eligibility for carbon crediting mechanisms, attracting investment and scaling up clean cooking access globally.
CCA’s Leadership in Standards Development
Since 2010, CCA has been at the forefront of standards development and testing for clean cooking technologies. Through close collaboration with national governments, international agencies, and technical experts, CCA has supported the establishment of robust testing protocols and regulatory frameworks worldwide. By investing in technical research, building local capacity, and facilitating knowledge exchange, CCA helps ensure that clean cooking solutions deliver the highest possible benefits to users. This work includes:
- Supporting Regional Testing and Knowledge Centers: Key to successful implementation of standards is the ability of testing labs to confidently and accurately test and report findings. To that end, CCA launched a round robin testing program in 2021 to deepen the capacity of testing centers and to ensure they are harmonized in their abilities, so that stakeholders receive similar results no matter where in the world they send their stove to be tested. To date CCA has supported 9 labs in 8 countries.
- Public Review and Revision of Key Clean Cooking Testing Protocols: CCA actively facilitates the review and revision of key clean cooking testing protocols such as the Controlled Cooking Test (CCT) and the Kitchen Performance Test (KPT), and the 5-year review and revision of the ISO 19867-1:2018 laboratory test protocol. These protocols play a critical role in assessing the real-world impact of cooking technologies on fuel consumption, emissions, and user experience. By fostering stakeholder engagement and scientific rigor in testing methodologies, CCA ensures that the standards reflect the latest advancements in clean cooking technology and field performance.
- The Clean Cooking Catalog: Maintained by CCA, the Clean Cooking Catalog is a comprehensive global database of cookstoves, fuels, and related technologies. This resource provides key data on performance, emissions, and user feedback, helping governments, businesses, and investors make informed decisions.
Looking Ahead
The approval of Nepal’s revised national standards incorporating electric pressure cookers and infrared hobs marks a crucial step toward wider adoption of modern, energy-efficient cooking technologies. With these standards in place, Nepal is better positioned to accelerate its transition to cleaner cooking solutions, improve public health, reduce household air pollution, and support its climate commitments.
CCA remains committed to working with partners globally to advance clean cooking standards and testing, ensuring that all households—regardless of geography or income—have access to safe, reliable, and high-performing cooking solutions. This latest achievement in Nepal is a testament to the power of collaboration and the impact of setting strong, science-backed standards for the future of clean cooking.
