Study on the Factors Influencing Residential Building Air Conditioning Behavior Based on SEM

With the rapid development of China's economy, the widespread adoption of air conditioning in residential areas has enhanced the comfort of residents but also led to increased energy consumption and environmental burden. This study utilizes Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze the impact of factors such as living environment, economic conditions, psychological tendencies, social influences, and cultural awareness on air conditioning behavior. The results indicate that living environment, economic conditions, and psychological tendencies significantly promote air conditioning usage, while social influences and cultural awareness effectively curb excessive use. Specifically, a good living environment reduces reliance on air conditioning, high income and low electricity prices encourage increased usage, and residents with strong environmental consciousness are more inclined to use air conditioning in an energy-efficient manner. Based on these findings, this study proposes strategies to improve the living environment, strengthen government policy incentives, promote energy-saving culture, and enhance social influences and individual behavior management, aiming to reduce energy consumption and emissions from air conditioning use, thus contributing to sustainable environmental development.