Determinants of Southern Italian households' intention to adopt energy efficiency measures in residential buildings

Implementing Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs) in residential buildings is one of the most effective ways of decreasing household energy consumption. The present research adopts an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behavior – which includes attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and environmental concern – to investigate the antecedents of households’ intention to adopt and willingness to pay for EEMs. The research was conducted in a Southern Italian region that has intensively promoted the adoption of renewable and energy-saving technologies. The results show that attitude is the main determinant of households’ intention to adopt and willingness to pay for EEMs. However, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and environmental concern have their own positive effects based on the income level, education, and age of household subgroups. The results have practical implications for companies and policy-makers interested in promoting EEM adoption and encouraging sustainable development.