IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i12p4815-d370616.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Policy Factors and Users’ Awareness on Electricity-Saving Behaviors: From the Perspective of Habits and Investment

Author

Listed:
  • Lanlan Li

    (School of Management, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
    Key Laboratory of Process Optimization and Intelligent Decision-making, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China)

  • Huayang Ming

    (School of Management, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China)

  • Ranran Yang

    (School of Management, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
    Key Laboratory of Process Optimization and Intelligent Decision-making, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China)

  • Xuan Luo

    (School of Management, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
    Key Laboratory of Process Optimization and Intelligent Decision-making, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China)

Abstract

Exploring the factors affecting residents’ electricity-saving behavior and their mechanisms of action is an important way to conserve regional energy and reduce emissions. Integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and norm activation model (NAM) and introducing the external policy factors, a model of the factors influencing habituation and investment electricity-saving behavior was constructed and an empirical study of urban residents in Hefei city, China was conducted. The results show that residents’ knowledge of the electricity price policy indirectly affects their habitual intentions by affecting their attitudes whereas residents’ knowledge of the subsidy policy have direct effects on their investment intentions. Environmental concern can directly affect residents’ habituation and investment intentions and also indirectly affect their habituation ones by affecting their personal moral norm. However, its indirect effect on the investment intention is not significant. Perceived behavioral control has a significant positive impact on residents’ investment intentions and behaviors, but the impacts on their habituation ones are not significant. The relationships between the personal moral norm and the two kinds of intention and behavior are opposite to those of perceived behavior control. Relevant policy implications for the government, household appliance enterprises, and power enterprises are provided.

Suggested Citation

  • Lanlan Li & Huayang Ming & Ranran Yang & Xuan Luo, 2020. "The Impact of Policy Factors and Users’ Awareness on Electricity-Saving Behaviors: From the Perspective of Habits and Investment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-23, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:12:p:4815-:d:370616
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/12/4815/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/12/4815/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Barr, Stewart & Gilg, Andrew W & Ford, Nicholas, 2005. "The household energy gap: examining the divide between habitual- and purchase-related conservation behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 1425-1444, July.
    2. Ding, Zhihua & Wang, Guangqiang & Liu, Zhenhua & Long, Ruyin, 2017. "Research on differences in the factors influencing the energy-saving behavior of urban and rural residents in China–A case study of Jiangsu Province," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 252-259.
    3. Wang, Bo & Wang, Xiaomeng & Guo, Dongxue & Zhang, Bin & Wang, Zhaohua, 2018. "Analysis of factors influencing residents’ habitual energy-saving behaviour based on NAM and TPB models: Egoism or altruism?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 68-77.
    4. Trotta, Gianluca, 2018. "Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments in British households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 529-539.
    5. Guomin Li & Wei Li & Zihan Jin & Zhihao Wang, 2019. "Influence of Environmental Concern and Knowledge on Households’ Willingness to Purchase Energy-Efficient Appliances: A Case Study in Shanxi, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-18, February.
    6. Ana Ramos & Xavier Labandeira & Andreas Löschel, 2016. "Pro-environmental Households and Energy Efficiency in Spain," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 63(2), pages 367-393, February.
    7. Abdullah Al Mamun & Muhammad Mohiuddin & Ghazali Bin Ahmad & Ramayah Thurasamy & Syed Ali Fazal, 2018. "Recycling Intention and Behavior among Low-Income Households," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-22, July.
    8. Kavousian, Amir & Rajagopal, Ram & Fischer, Martin, 2013. "Determinants of residential electricity consumption: Using smart meter data to examine the effect of climate, building characteristics, appliance stock, and occupants' behavior," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 184-194.
    9. Sudarshan, Anant, 2017. "Nudges in the marketplace: The response of household electricity consumption to information and monetary incentives," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 320-335.
    10. Pothitou, Mary & Hanna, Richard F. & Chalvatzis, Konstantinos J., 2016. "Environmental knowledge, pro-environmental behaviour and energy savings in households: An empirical study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1217-1229.
    11. Jia, Jun-Jun & Xu, Jin-Hua & Fan, Ying & Ji, Qiang, 2018. "Willingness to accept energy-saving measures and adoption barriers in the residential sector: An empirical analysis in Beijing, China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 56-73.
    12. Saqib Ali & Habib Ullah & Minhas Akbar & Waheed Akhtar & Hasan Zahid, 2019. "Determinants of Consumer Intentions to Purchase Energy-Saving Household Products in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-20, March.
    13. Pan, Jing Yu & Truong, Dothang, 2018. "Passengers’ intentions to use low-cost carriers: An extended theory of planned behavior model," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 38-48.
    14. Peter Ansu‐Mensah & Murad A. Bein, 2019. "Towards sustainable consumption: Predicting the impact of social‐psychological factors on energy conservation intentions in Northern Cyprus," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(3), pages 181-193, August.
    15. Wang, Zhaohua & Wang, Xiaomeng & Guo, Dongxue, 2017. "Policy implications of the purchasing intentions towards energy-efficient appliances among China’s urban residents: Do subsidies work?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 430-439.
    16. Vassileva, Iana & Dahlquist, Erik & Wallin, Fredrik & Campillo, Javier, 2013. "Energy consumption feedback devices’ impact evaluation on domestic energy use," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 314-320.
    17. Roberts, Mike B. & Haghdadi, Navid & Bruce, Anna & MacGill, Iain, 2019. "Characterisation of Australian apartment electricity demand and its implications for low-carbon cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 242-257.
    18. Urban, Jan & Ščasný, Milan, 2012. "Exploring domestic energy-saving: The role of environmental concern and background variables," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 69-80.
    19. Yang, Shu & Cheng, Peng & Li, Jun & Wang, Shanyong, 2019. "Which group should policies target? Effects of incentive policies and product cognitions for electric vehicle adoption among Chinese consumers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    20. Higueras-Castillo, Elena & Liébana-Cabanillas, Francisco José & Muñoz-Leiva, Francisco & García-Maroto, Inmaculada, 2019. "Evaluating consumer attitudes toward electromobility and the moderating effect of perceived consumer effectiveness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 387-398.
    21. Mohammad Soltani & Omeid Rahmani & Amin Beiranvand Pour & Yousef Ghaderpour & Ibrahim Ngah & Siti Hajar Misnan, 2019. "Determinants of Variation in Household Energy Choice and Consumption: Case from Mahabad City, Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-20, September.
    22. Wang, Shanyong & Li, Jun & Zhao, Dingtao, 2017. "The impact of policy measures on consumer intention to adopt electric vehicles: Evidence from China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 14-26.
    23. Wang, Shanyong & Lin, Shoufu & Li, Jun, 2018. "Exploring the effects of non-cognitive and emotional factors on household electricity saving behavior," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 171-180.
    24. Khanna, Nina Zheng & Guo, Jin & Zheng, Xinye, 2016. "Effects of demand side management on Chinese household electricity consumption: Empirical findings from Chinese household survey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 113-125.
    25. Cao, Jing & Ho, Mun Sing & Li, Yating & Newell, Richard G. & Pizer, William A., 2019. "Chinese residential electricity consumption: Estimation and forecast using micro-data," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 6-27.
    26. Gallo Cassarino, Tiziano & Sharp, Ed & Barrett, Mark, 2018. "The impact of social and weather drivers on the historical electricity demand in Europe," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 176-185.
    27. Reinartz, Werner & Haenlein, Michael & Henseler, Jörg, 2009. "An empirical comparison of the efficacy of covariance-based and variance-based SEM," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 332-344.
    28. Paul, Justin & Modi, Ashwin & Patel, Jayesh, 2016. "Predicting green product consumption using theory of planned behavior and reasoned action," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 123-134.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lei Chen & Sheema Matloob & Yang Sunlei & Sikandar Ali Qalati & Ali Raza & Mónica Lorena Sánchez Limón, 2023. "A Moderated–Mediated Model for Eco-Conscious Consumer Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Nik Masdek Nik Rozana & Wong Kelly Kai Seng & Mohd Nawi Nolila & Sharifuddin Juwaidah & Wong Wang Li, 2023. "Antecedents of sustainable food waste management behaviour: Empirical evidence from urban households in Malaysia," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 18(1), pages 53-77, March.
    3. Bowen Qin & Ge Song, 2022. "Internal Motivations, External Contexts, and Sustainable Consumption Behavior in China—Based on the TPB-ABC Integration Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-19, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Muhammad Yaseen Bhutto & Xiaohui Liu & Yasir Ali Soomro & Myriam Ertz & Yasser Baeshen, 2020. "Adoption of Energy-Efficient Home Appliances: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-25, December.
    2. Imran Hossain & Maria Fekete-Farkas & Md. Nekmahmud, 2022. "Purchase Behavior of Energy-Efficient Appliances Contribute to Sustainable Energy Consumption in Developing Country: Moral Norms Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-20, June.
    3. Xin, Yongrong & Long, Dengjie, 2023. "Linking eco-label knowledge and sustainable consumption of renewable energy: A roadmap towards green revolution," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 531-538.
    4. Xuan Liu & Qiancheng Wang & Hsi-Hsien Wei & Hung-Lin Chi & Yaotian Ma & Izzy Yi Jian, 2020. "Psychological and Demographic Factors Affecting Household Energy-Saving Intentions: A TPB-Based Study in Northwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-20, January.
    5. Wang, Yao & Lin, Boqiang & Li, Minyang, 2021. "Is household electricity saving a virtuous circle? A case study of the first-tier cities in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    6. Biao Luo & Mengzhen Nie & Hongmei Ji, 2023. "The Influence of Internet Celebrities’ Expertise and Attraction on Residents’ Intention to Purchase Household Energy-Saving Products in the Context of an Online Community," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-13, April.
    7. WeiYu Ji & Edwin H. W. Chan, 2019. "Critical Factors Influencing the Adoption of Smart Home Energy Technology in China: A Guangdong Province Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-24, November.
    8. Guomin Li & Wei Li & Zihan Jin & Zhihao Wang, 2019. "Influence of Environmental Concern and Knowledge on Households’ Willingness to Purchase Energy-Efficient Appliances: A Case Study in Shanxi, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-18, February.
    9. Jakučionytė-Skodienė, Miglė & Krikštolaitis, Ričardas & Liobikienė, Genovaitė, 2022. "The contribution of changes in climate-friendly behaviour, climate change concern and personal responsibility to household greenhouse gas emissions: Heating/cooling and transport activities in the Eur," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    10. Trotta, Gianluca, 2018. "Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments in British households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 529-539.
    11. Barbara Borusiak & Andrzej Szymkowiak & Bartłomiej Pierański & Katarzyna Szalonka, 2021. "The Impact of Environmental Concern on Intention to Reduce Consumption of Single-Use Bottled Water," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, April.
    12. Ranran Yang & Chunxiao Yue & Jingjing Li & Junhong Zhu & Hongshu Chen & Jia Wei, 2020. "The Influence of Information Intervention Cognition on College Students’ Energy-Saving Behavior Intentions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-17, March.
    13. Lin, Boqiang & Lan, Tianxu, 2023. "Progress of increasing-block electricity pricing policy implementation in China's first-tier cities and the impact of resident policy perception," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    14. Muhammad Rizwan Ali & Muhammad Shafiq & Murad Andejany, 2021. "Determinants of Consumers’ Intentions towards the Purchase of Energy Efficient Appliances in Pakistan: An Extended Model of the Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-17, January.
    15. Mi, Lingyun & Xu, Ting & Sun, Yuhuan & Yang, Hang & Wang, Bangjun & Gan, Xiaoli & Qiao, Lijie, 2021. "Promoting differentiated energy savings: Analysis of the psychological motivation of households with different energy consumption levels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    16. Le Thi Dieu Hien & Khuu Ngoc Huyen & Thi Hong Loc Hoang, 2023. "Factors Affecting Energy-Saving Intentions among Youth in Vietnam," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(6), pages 603-609, November.
    17. Fang, Xingming & Wang, Lu & Sun, Chuanwang & Zheng, Xuemei & Wei, Jing, 2021. "Gap between words and actions: Empirical study on consistency of residents supporting renewable energy development in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(PA).
    18. Muhammad Yaseen Bhutto & Yasir Ali Soomro & Hailan Yang, 2022. "Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior: Predicting Young Consumer Purchase Behavior of Energy-Efficient Appliances (Evidence From Developing Economy)," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, February.
    19. Gulshan Maqbool & Zulqarnain Haider, 2021. "The Impact of Individual Behavior on Household Energy Saving," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 3(1), pages 39-46.
    20. Eva M. Murgado-Armenteros & María Gutierrez-Salcedo & Francisco José Torres-Ruiz, 2020. "The Concern about Biodiversity as a Criterion for the Classification of the Sustainable Consumer: A Cross-Cultural Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-14, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:12:p:4815-:d:370616. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.