BURN Manufacturing has received a $5 million investment from EDFI Management Company through the EU-funded Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI). This funding will help over 100,000 Kenyan households shift from costly, polluting fuels like charcoal and LPG to affordable, electric cooking.
The financing will support the rollout of BURN’s ECOA Induction Cooker (ECOA IDC). These locally manufactured IoT-enabled appliances offer a smarter and cleaner way to cook. The ECOA IDC is fitted with a Pay-As-You-Cook (PAYC) technology. With this, users will be able to make small daily payments through mobile money and gradually own the device within a year.
Over 600 million people have electricity connections in Africa but don’t use it for cooking . This is largely attributed to the high upfront cost associated with electric appliances. Many people instead use charcoal or wood and end up spending an average of $12 weekly. BURN’s solution reduces household fuel costs by 40–60%. It also helps cut harmful emissions, eliminating an estimated 1.4 million tons of CO₂ over the product’s lifetime.
“Kenya’s electricity grid is over 90% renewable, yet more than 15 million households still cook with polluting fuels. This investment helps close that gap,” said Peter Scott, CEO and Founder of BURN. “With over 40,000 ECOA induction cookers already in homes across East and West Africa, we’re showing that electric cooking—designed and built in Africa—can scale affordably.”
The investment is not only about improving household health and reducing environmental damage; it’s also about strengthening local economies. BURN’s cookers are made in Africa, for Africa—supporting local manufacturing, job creation, and climate resilience.
Rodrigo Madrazo, CEO of EDFI Management Company, added:
“Access to clean and affordable cooking is essential for sustainable development. Through ElectriFI, we are proud to support BURN’s pioneering work. This is about more than clean energy—it’s about economic opportunity and resilience across the value chain.”
BURN has already distributed more than 5 million clean cookstoves across the continent, transforming lives for over 25 million people while preventing 26 million tons of CO₂ emissions.
Also Read: BURN Named Among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in EMEA
