Residential mobility and household energy-saving appliances purchasing behavior in urban areas: Evidence from China

Abstract

The installation rate of solar water heaters (SWHs) in Chinese urban areas has decreased significantly, undermining energy conservation and emission reduction goals. On the basis of data from the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey and IV-Probit model, in this study, we will examine the effect of residential mobility on household SWH purchasing behavior. According to our findings, residential mobility had a negative effect on household SWH buying. Based on the sub sample without tenants, the results are robust. Higher household moving frequency was associated with a lower probability of buying SWHs. We also test the social relationships as an intermediate mechanism by which residential mobility influences household decisions to buy energy-efficient appliances. Residential mobility disrupts stable social networks, causing households to exhibit stronger loss aversion and time preference when buying energy-efficient appliances. The analysis framework employed in this paper can be applied to study buying decisions for other energy-saving appliances in the floating households.