Bridging the gap between sustainable technology adoption and protecting natural resources: Predicting intentions to adopt energy management technologies in California
- Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
To achieve energy savings, emerging energy management technologies and programs require customer adoption. Although a variety of models can be used to explain the adoption of energy management technologies and programs, they overlook the seemingly unconventional element of level of affiliation with nature. In fact, connectedness to nature has been identified as an important driver of many pro-environmental behaviors, but its role in pro-environmental technology adoption is also not well understood. Can affiliation with nature help to bridge the apparent gap—and complex chain of events—between sustainable technology adoption and protecting natural resources? Based on survey data from 856 southern California residents, this study investigated the influence of connectedness to nature and other factors on intentions to adopt five energy management technologies and programs: using three platforms to monitor home energy use (website, mobile phone application, in-home display); signing up for a time-of-use pricing plan; and participating in demand response events. Regression results showed that nature connectedness was the strongest predictor of all outcomes such that higher nature connectedness predicted greater likelihood of technology and program adoption. In conclusion, these findings suggest that connectedness to nature may facilitate “bridging the logic gap” between sustainable innovation adoption and environmental protection.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- OE0000192
- OSTI ID:
- 1330580
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1397466
- Journal Information:
- Energy Research and Social Science, Vol. 22, Issue C; ISSN 2214-6296
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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