Does smart home adoption reduce household electricity-related CO2 emissions? ——Evidence from Hangzhou city, China

Abstract

Digital technology has enabled the emergence of smart homes, which promise to provide occupants with a high-quality life while being environmentally friendly. However, occupants’ demand for “comfort” and “convenience” may contradict the purpose of minimizing the carbon footprint of smart homes. Investigating whether smart home adoption can reduce carbon emissions and promote carbon neutrality from a consumer perspective is therefore essential. In this study, 359 valid responses were collected from Hangzhou, a Chinese megacity, as basic data. We established a smart home adoption evaluation index system that enabled us to empirically examine the trend of household electricity-related CO2 emissions with the change in smart home adoption level. We found an inverted U-shaped relationship between the smart home adoption level and household electricity-related CO2 emissions. Smart home adoption causes more CO2 emissions in the initial stage, but reaches a tipping point where higher levels of smart home adoption leads to widespread use of energy-saving smart features and subsequently fewer emissions. Furthermore, this study confirmed the moderating effect of the internet divide on the relationship between smart home adoption and electricity-related CO2 emissions; the results indicate that improving internet accessibility and utilization promotes the commitment to reducing CO2 emissions in smart homes.