The switching towards smart energy technologies for sustainable development: Individual, institutional and regional perspectives

Smart energy technologies are now economically competitive and have environmental benefits. The study employs the push-pull-mooring model, institutional theory, and Triandis’s model to investigate the switching intentions towards smart energy technologies. A partial least square approach is employed to analyze the primary data collected from 714 Chinese respondents. The results indicate that perceived consequences and green innovativeness are the most influencing factors, whereas ecological concerns and supportive normative environment remain significant in explaining the switching intentions. Green self-efficacy and switching cost as mooring factors significantly affect switching intentions and moderate some of the relationships in explaining switching intentions. Green self-efficacy and switching cost as mooring factors significantly affect switching intentions and moderate some of the relationships in explaining switching intentions. The study recommends that the economic benefits of smart energy technologies should be communicated to households and the regulative environment should project smart energy technologies as innovative sustainable products to attract more households.