AWARD YEAR
2019
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Affordable & Clean Energy
KEYWORDS
families, sustainable, energy
COUNTRY
United States of America
DESIGNED BY
The Envirofit R&D Team (Nathan Lorenz, Jesse Walker, Marcus Newsom, Tommy Miles, et al.)
WEBSITE
https://envirofit.org/smartgas/
Envirofit SmartGas
SmartGas uses mobile money and modern technology to make LPG affordable for people in energy poverty
The SmartGas program increases access to modern, clean burning LPG fuel in emerging markets. It enables households living in energy poverty to access LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) fuel by paying for it on a daily basis. Through Envirofit's SIM/GPS enabled SmartGas Valve, families are able to use their phones to pre-pay for gas as needed using mobile money. This transaction activates the valve to supply the purchased amount of gas, thus allowing customers to pay-as-you-cook with clean LPG at a price comparable to daily charcoal use. Constant monitoring of the data received through the valve by the Envirofit Customer Care Team allows for the delivery of a new tank before the customer ever runs out, assuring a consistent supply of quality LPG gas. Additionally, SmartGas technology allows customers to borrow smaller sums and eschew rigid repayment schedules, making it more flexible than traditional MFIs and opens more possibilities for reaching the underserved than ever before.