The impact of policy factors and users' awareness on electricity-saving behaviors: From the perspective of habits and investment

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.