Roles of Technological Knowledge and Self-Efficacy in Influencing Consumer Adoption of Smart Grid Technologies: A Path Analysis

With the help of various smart energy technologies, consumers are envisioned to become active participants in the energy systems of the future. However, the lack of knowledge and confidence among the public pose significant barriers to the widespread adoption of many smart grid technologies. This study investigates the relationships between technological knowledge, self-efficacy and consumer adoption of smart grid technologies. We conducted an online survey of Finnish households and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling. We examined the direct effects of knowledge and self-efficacy, the mediating role of self-efficacy and the extent to which sociodemographic factors of age, gender and level of education may influence these study variables. Our results show that both technological knowledge and self-efficacy positively influence the adoption of smart grid technologies and that the effect of knowledge is partially mediated by self-efficacy. We also found significant relationships between sociodemographic factors and the main study variables.