Psychological factors in the diffusion of sustainable technology: A study of Norwegian households’ adoption of wood pellet heating

This paper aims to understand the determinants of the adoption of wood pellet technology for home heating to identify possible strategies against the slow diffusion of wood pellet in Norway. A mail survey of 737 Norwegian households was conducted in 2008, involving wood pellet adopters and non-wood pellet adopters as respondents. An integrated model combining psychological factors (such as intentions, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, habits and norms), perceived wood pellet heating characteristics, and ecological and basic values is applied to predict the installation of a wood pellet stove retrospectively. Results from a path analysis gain empirical support for the proposed integrated model. Wood pellet heating adoption is mainly predicted by a deliberate decision process starting with the evaluation of heating system characteristics, mediated by attitudes and intentions. A lack of perceived behavioral control and behavioral lock-in pose relevant barriers to the adoption process. The influence of norms and values are indirect and only minor in the given market conditions. Therefore, focusing on values or norms should not be of highest priority at the moment, whereas improvement of the subjective evaluation of the functional reliability and the costs related to wood pellet heating should have first priority. The small but significant influence of habitual decision making indicates that presenting alternatives and increase decisional involvement could be other promising strategies to reduce cognitive lock-in in decision-making.