LAUSR

Abstract To reduce pollutant emissions and improve air quality, the Chinese government has enacted new energy policies (e.g., “coal to gas” and “coal to electricity”) concerning the residential heating sector to introduce cleaner residential heating technologies (RHTs). In practice, stimulating the diffusion and adoption of cleaner RHTs among homeowners might be crucial for the successful implementation of such energy policies. This study employed diffusion of innovation theory to explore the individual (rational and emotional) motivations behind homeowners’ adoption of cleaner RHTs. We conducted a field survey of Nanjing households that intended to decorate their newly built homes in the period from December 2017 to December 2018. The empirical results showed that the total cost, technical attributes, and influence of peers were important factors underlying the adoption intention of cleaner RHTs. However, this study failed to find any statistically significant effects of the relative advantage or personal environmental awareness on the adoption intention of cleaner RHTs. Our findings might provide some useful implications for market managers and policy makers.