Homeowner satisfaction with low-carbon heating technologies

Abstract

Positive word-of-mouth communication resulting from the experiences of early adopters is a crucial factor in the uptake and diffusion of low-carbon energy technologies over time. Hence, the goal of this research is to study homeowner satisfaction with respect to residential heating systems (RHS) based on renewable energies. In particular, this paper focuses on the role of attributes of the home, homeowners’ socio-demographic characteristics, RHS-related knowledge, and adoption motivations. For this purpose, we apply a linear regression model on a dataset obtained from a survey among homeowners in Germany (N = 2135) that had adopted an RHS shortly before the survey was conducted. Moreover, we investigate differences between groups of homeowners by means of t-tests and ANOVA. Our research shows that the fulfilment of the motivations for adopting an RHS are relevant factors explaining satisfaction with newly adopted RHS. In particular, the preference to have an RHS that is compatible with daily habits and routines has a strong impact on satisfaction. Furthermore, we find the degree of RHS-related knowledge relevant as well. Socio-demographic aspects – such as age, university degree, gender or income – are found to be less important. We also find differences between groups of adopters. Specifically, adopters of a gas-fired condensing boiler with solar thermal support or a heat pump are less satisfied than adopters of a wood pellet-fired boiler. We conclude that information and education campaigns on clean energy technologies such as RHS based on renewable energies may have a positive impact on homeowner satisfaction resulting in a positive word-of-mouth recommendation and influenec of others.