Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption pattern among households around a protected area in Southeastern Bangladesh

This study explores renewable and non-renewable energy consumption patterns, expenses for fuels, and associated socioeconomic factors among households around a protected forest area (park) in Southeastern Bangladesh. Methods involve randomly surveying a total of 176 households with pre-tested questionnaires in three different categories: ≤ 1 km (nearby), 2–4 km (far), and ≥ 5 km (very far) from the park, respectively. A rural household consumes 12 times higher renewable fuels than non-renewables, with leading fuelwood (1182.73 kWh month−1), primarily used for cooking. Households´ consumptions of fuelwood and leaves are higher nearby the park, however; the consumptions of crop residues and sawdust are significantly higher at the households far away from the park. For sourcing fuelwood, most of the households nearby the park depend on private forests, and those living away rely on the market and sawmills. For renewables, a household spends 42% of the total energy expenses, while 58% on non-renewables. Households nearby the park spend 12% of their energy budget to buy kerosene, an inconvenient fuel, mostly for lighting, however; those away from the park only spend 5% of their energy budget for kerosene and 28–31% on cleaner energy such as liquefied petroleum gas and electricity. More affluent and educated households shift from kerosene and spend more on cleaner fuels. The rural households’ current high dependence on renewable energy, their diminishing pressure on public and homestead forests for fuels, and the pattern of unequal energy access based on their distance from the park can contribute to achieving sustainable development goal (SDG 7) to ensure clean, affordable, and sustainable access to energy for all by 2030.