Less than two years after it was established, Enersave Enterprises Limited has grown from a small clean energy business into one of Uganda’s emerging clean cooking companies, earning recognition as a regional hub under the Uganda National Alliance on Clean Cooking (UNACC).
The milestone reflects how targeted financing, strategic partnerships and rising demand for clean cooking technologies are helping local businesses expand while supporting Uganda’s transition from charcoal and firewood to cleaner sources of energy.
Founded in 2024 and based in Baggala Zone, Seeta, Mukono District, Enersave was created to increase access to clean cooking technologies across the country.
The company supplies electric pressure cookers (EPCs), solar-powered cooking solutions, biogas systems, improved cookstoves and ethanol cooking technologies. It also carries out community sensitisation and training on clean energy.
A major turning point came when the company joined the Results-Based Financing (RBF) programme implemented by GIZ EnDev in partnership with Equity Bank Uganda.
The programme provided the financing Enersave needed to expand its operations and reach more households.
Through the programme, the company supplied 301 electric pressure cookers to households in 30 districts, meeting its distribution target while significantly increasing its presence across Uganda.
“The funding we received provided us with working capital that boosted our business operations,” said Emmanuel Bassa, the director of Enersave Enterprises Limited.
“Initially, we only dealt in electric pressure cookers. Through the programme, we diversified our product portfolio to include solar cooking solutions, improved cookstoves, ethanol fuel and ethanol stoves. These products were well received by communities, enabling us to achieve 100 percent of our EPC distribution target.”
The company now serves customers in more than 50 districts, almost doubling the areas where it operates within a short period.
Beyond increasing sales, the Results-Based Financing programme also helped Enersave strengthen its internal systems and prepare for future investment.
To qualify for the financing, the company developed governance structures, including gender and human resource policies, and prepared audited financial statements.
Bassa said these reforms have made the company more attractive to investors.
“We are now investor-ready because of the structures we put in place,” he said.
“We have governance systems, audited books of accounts and institutional policies that make us attractive to future investors. We also became members of the Uganda National Alliance on Clean Cooking, which will further support our growth.”
The company is also benefiting from recent government efforts to encourage households to adopt electric cooking.
The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) and Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) introduced a reduced cooking tariff that allows domestic consumers to buy a 70-unit cooking bundle at Shs412 per kilowatt hour for electricity consumed between the 81st and 150th units.
The lower tariff is expected to encourage more households to switch from charcoal and firewood to electric cooking technologies.
Virginia Semakula, Equity Bank Uganda’s head of the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Pillar, said many Ugandans want to adopt clean energy technologies but are held back by the initial cost.
“Many Ugandans want solar systems, clean cookstoves and renewable energy solutions, but the initial costs remain too high for households and small businesses,” she said.
“Equity Bank partners with companies like Enersave to bring these services closer to them.”
Customers say the switch to electric cooking has reduced both household expenses and cooking time.
Rose Nakayiba, a resident of Bugina Zone in Seeta, said she was initially concerned about electricity costs before buying her first electric pressure cooker.
“But after buying one EPC and seeing how economical it was, I bought a second one,” she said.
“I use about one unit of electricity to prepare a meal, which is much cheaper than buying charcoal. Previously, I spent about Shs80,000 every month on charcoal.”
Nakayiba said the cooker has also made cooking more convenient.
“Whenever I travel, I carry my EPC because I can cook anywhere there is electricity. It keeps my kitchen clean and saves me a lot of time regardless of what I am preparing.”
Another customer, Specioza Nalule, said the money she has saved since switching to electric cooking is now helping her invest in other income-generating activities.
“As a housewife, I now save the money I used to spend on charcoal. I contribute those savings to a weekly women’s savings group, and I plan to invest the money in my poultry business,” she said.
Enersave’s growth has also extended beyond selling clean cooking products.
The company has established a community-based organisation that equips young people with vocational skills such as embroidery while promoting awareness about clean energy.
It has also participated in clean cooking exhibitions and expos across the country, where it has demonstrated clean cooking technologies to more than 1,000 people.
According to the company, these outreach activities have strengthened its brand while increasing public awareness and demand for clean cooking solutions.
Looking ahead, Enersave plans to expand its range of clean cooking technologies, particularly products designed for off-grid communities where access to reliable electricity remains limited.
The company believes growing demand for affordable and sustainable cooking solutions presents an opportunity to extend clean energy access to more households across Uganda.
