Product traits, decision-makers, and household low-carbon technology adoptions: moving beyond single empirical studies

TL;DR

This paper develops a decision framework for household low-carbon technology adoption, linking decision-maker traits, decision objects, and context, and verifies some relations through literature review.

Contribution

It introduces a novel decision framework that connects decision subject and object traits with adoption considerations, advancing beyond single empirical studies.

Findings

Financial considerations are confirmed as influential.

Environmental considerations are confirmed as influential.

Effort considerations could not be confirmed due to lack of evidence.

Abstract

Although single empirical studies provide important insights into who adopts a specific LCT for what reason, fundamental questions concerning the relations between decision subject (= who decides), decision object (= what is decided upon) and context (= when and where it is decided) remain unanswered. In this paper, this research gap is addressed by deriving a decision framework for residential decision-making, suggesting that traits of decision subject and object are determinants of financial, environmental, symbolic, normative, effort and technical considerations preceding adoption. Thereafter, the decision framework is initially verified by employing literature on the adoption of photovoltaic systems, energy-efficient appliances and green tariffs. Of the six proposed relations, two could be confirmed (financial and environmental), one could be rejected (effort), and three could neither be confirmed nor rejected due to lacking evidence. Future research on LCT adoption could use the decision framework as a guidepost to establish a more coordinated and integrated approach, ultimately allowing to address fundamental questions.