In reply to kathy.

And there is a lot of misinformation around, too, further complicating things. Cooking with electricity is a good example; it seems to be better for the environment because the pollution from the coal-burning or nuclear power plant is far away, where people don't see it. Using electricity for resistance heating (stoves & furnaces) is extremely inefficient, and unless you are powering the electric stove with photovoltaic panels, it is a terrible thing to do to the environment.

The discussion is kindof moot here in Guatemala, though. Electricity here is really expensive, and if you are running an electric stove, your household electricity usage more than doubles (mostly because they have few other electrical appliance). The locals figured out a long time ago that no one can afford to operate an electric stove, even though they are cheaper to acquire. I have seen four electric stoves in my entire time in Guatemala, and in every case, they were owned by a Gringo. :) So, yeah, you're right- it is indeed a complicated cultural issue.