A hybrid PLS‐SEM‐neural network approach to determine the factors affecting the purchasing intention of energy efficiency home appliances

Household appliances are among the most frequently purchased products and contribute significantly to household energy consumption. As everyday devices used for routine domestic activities, many appliances require substantial amounts of electricity, making energy-efficient alternatives increasingly important for promoting sustainable consumption and reducing residential energy use. This study examines the determinants influencing householders’ purchase intentions toward energy-efficient home appliances. The research is grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), exploring the relationships among attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and purchase intention, while also incorporating additional psychological factors such as self-expressive benefits and environmental knowledge. Furthermore, the study investigates the mediating role of environmental knowledge in shaping consumer purchase intentions. Data were collected from 398 respondents using a non-probability purposive sampling technique, and the analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control have a positive and statistically significant influence on purchase intention toward energy-efficient appliances. Self-expressive benefits significantly influence consumers’ attitudes and indirectly affect purchase intention through attitude. However, environmental knowledge does not moderate the relationships between attitude and purchase intention or between perceived behavioral control and purchase intention. In addition, the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis reveals that attitude is the most influential predictor of purchase intention, followed by subjective norms and self-expressive benefits, while environmental knowledge plays a comparatively weaker role, suggesting that economic and behavioral considerations remain stronger drivers of consumers’ purchasing decisions than environmental awareness alone.