Sole, Tebogo BrendaWagner, Claire2018-10-162018-10-162018Tebogo Sole & Claire Wagner (2018) Understanding domestic fuel use practices in an urban township, Building Research & Information, 46:2, 220-230, DOI: 10.1080/09613218.2016.1259203.0961-3218 (print)1466-4321 (online)10.1080/09613218.2016.1259203http://hdl.handle.net/2263/66914This paper is based on the research conducted for a master’s dissertation completed in 2016 by Tebogo Sole. (https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/53466)Due to the complex interactions between socio-economic, cultural and political factors, some urban households consume a portfolio of energy sources, e.g. electricity, coal, paraffin, gas and solar power. A social construction of technology perspective is used to understand the choices underlying these multiple fuel practices. Nine participants (household energy managers, consumers and users) were purposefully selected from Soshanguve, an urban township in Pretoria, South Africa. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and narrative analysis was used to generate findings. Stories about multiple fuel use in the household showed this practice is common and forms part of the participants’ lifestyles. Social, cultural and political meanings of fuel use are identified in the narratives. Suggested interventions to optimize multiple fuel use in this context include additional technology such as solar power, collaborations with manufacturers to improve existing fuel types that are seen as potentially hazardous, and leveraging women’s knowledge and position in the household to formalize education about multiple fuels. The role of government in providing subsidies for alternative energies and reviewing accessibility to electricity was also highlighted by the participants. This research demonstrates that policy-makers should actively involve consumers in household energy system decisions through deliberative dialogue with communities.en© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an electronic version of an article published in Building Research and Information, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 220-230, 2018. doi : 10.1080/09613218.2016.1259203. Building Research and Information is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.comloi/rbri20.Energy consumptionEnergy managementEnergy mixEnergy policyEnergy-use behaviourFuel povertyMultiple fuel practicesSocial construction of technologySouth Africa (SA)Postprint Article