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Mobilizing household adoption of climate-smart electric technologies: Lessons from the U.S

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  • Kale, Snehal
  • Brown, Marilyn A.

Abstract

The electrification tech triad—electric vehicles (EVs), rooftop photovoltaics (RPVs), and heat pumps (HPs)—enables affordable and feasible pathways to significant decarbonization. However, their adoption varies across U.S. states, with some states and metropolitan areas providing remarkable leadership. Current literature fails to identify whether similar policies and market strategies work equally well across technologies and geographies or if customization may be necessary. Our analysis, based on an expansive dataset from 1,782 households and geographic market penetration data from Georgia, offers insights for mobilizing climate-smart electrification. First, a combination of parametric and non-parametric tests is used to identify technology-specific motivations and explore their relationship with required savings thresholds. We then build a novel dependent variable – the multi-dimensional measure of interest in adopting the tech triad (0–7 scale) – that enhances the conventional metric by including policy-driven and knowledge-driven dimensions. A theory-driven range of predictors is used to identify four latent factors (affluence, sustainable lifestyle, climate attitude, and demographics) and their correlation with our new measure is estimated using an OLS regression. Sustainable lifestyles and climate concern correlate with higher interest levels in EVs and RPVs, whereas affluence finds significance for interest in HPs. Observational familiarity is positively correlated with interest in all three technologies. Overall, the findings indicate unique drivers of adoption, which suggest the need for tailored and targeted policies that align with differentiated household motivations and characteristics. Finally, we benchmark Georgia's electrification policies against U.S. leaders to offer customized recommendations.

Suggested Citation

  • Kale, Snehal & Brown, Marilyn A., 2025. "Mobilizing household adoption of climate-smart electric technologies: Lessons from the U.S," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 400(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:400:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925011961
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126466
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