Share:


Usage intentions, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy-efficient applications during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Rebeka-Anna Pop   Affiliation
    ; Dan-Cristian Dabija   Affiliation
    ; Corina Pelău   Affiliation
    ; Vasile Dinu   Affiliation

Abstract

Energy waste is an emerging issue worldwide, with energy conservation goals, such as conscious energy consumption, playing a crucial role in helping the environment. The rapid growth of smart appliances has led to the development of mobile applications, with an increased interest among policymakers to design eco-saving plans for optimizing power and battery consumption.  This study aims to explore the usage intention of energy-efficient applications, through young consumers’ energy conservation behavior, behavioral characteristics, and COVID-19 pandemic experience. Based on empirical investigation, a survey was applied in Romania among 590 mobile app users. The data were tested using partial least square structural equation modeling (SmartPLS, version 3). The results indicate the impact of behavioral characteristics, namely, energy conservation attitude, subjective norms, and environmental knowledge on young users’ energy conservation behavior. The influential effect of COVID-19 on energy-saving behavior was also proven. Energy conservation behavior, and functional and hedonic values positively influence Millennials’ and Gen Zers’ energy-efficient app usage intentions. The study also discusses some implications for policymakers, marketers, and software developers, as well as providing theoretical suggestions for future work.

Keyword : energy conservation behavior (ECB), mobile apps, theory of planned behavior (TPB), COVID-19, energy conservation attitude, values

How to Cite
Pop, R.-A., Dabija, D.-C., Pelău, C., & Dinu, V. (2022). Usage intentions, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy-efficient applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 23(3), 668–689. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2022.16959
Published in Issue
Jun 8, 2022
Abstract Views
2072
PDF Downloads
1450
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abrahamse, W., & Steg, L. (2013). Social influence approaches to encourage resource conservation: A meta-analysis. Global Environmental Change, 23(6), 1773–1785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.07.029

Ahmad, R. W., Gani, A., Hamid, S. H. A., Shojafar, M., Ahmed, A. I. A., Madani, S. A., Saleem, K., & Rodrigues, J. J. P. C. (2017). A survey on energy estimation and power modeling schemes for smartphone applications. International Journal of Communication Systems, 30(11), e3234. https://doi.org/10.1002/dac.3234

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process, 50, 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Barber, N., Taylor, C., & Strick, S. (2009). Wine consumers’ environmental knowledge and attitudes: Influence on willingness to purchase. International Journal of Wine Research, 1(1), 59–72. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWR.S4649

Barboza, M. N. L., & Filho, E. J. M. A. (2019). Green consumption values in mobile apps. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 31(1), 66–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/08961530.2018.1490052

Brătucu, G., Constantin, C. P., Chițu, I. B., Grădinaru, E., & Dovleac, L. (2019). Approaching the bioeconomy in terms of increasing the energy efficiency of households in Romania. Amfiteatru Economic, 21(50), 90–104. https://doi.org/10.24818/EA/2019/50/90

Brauer, B., Ebermann, C., Hildebrandt, B., Remané, G., & Kolbe, L. M. (2016). Green by app: The contribution of mobile applications to environmental sustainability. Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, PACIS 2016 – Proceedings, September.

Cantaragiu, R. E., & Ghinea, V. M. (2020). The impact of workaholism on consumer food waste. Amfiteatru Economic, 22(14), 1140–1158. https://doi.org/10.24818/EA/2020/S14/1140

Chin, J., Jiang, B. C., Mufidah, I., Persada, S. F., & Noer, B. A. (2018). The investigation of consumers’ behavior intention in using green skincare products: A pro-environmental behavior model approach. Sustainability, 10(11), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113922

Clarke, I. (2001). Emerging value propositions for m-commerce. Journal of Business Strategies, 18(2), 133–139. https://doi.org/10.54155/jbs.18.2.133-148

Clement, C. A., Henning, J. B., & Osbaldiston, R. (2014). Integrating factors that predict energy conservation: The theory of planned behavior and beliefs about climate change. Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(6), 46–69. https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v7n6p46

Collins, K. (2020). Real-time patient monitoring throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: How health systems can harness telemedicine and mobile technology services. American Journal of Medical Research, 7(2), 43–49. https://doi.org/10.22381/AJMR7220206

Dabija, D.C., & Băbuț, R. (2019). Enhancing apparel store patronage through retailers’ attributes and sustainability. A generational approach. Sustainability, 11(17), 4532. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174532

Dahalan, D., Abdul Rahman, H., & D’Silva, J. L. (2020). Malaysian public’s concern about the environment during the Covid-19 pandemic: A study of a selected state in Peninsular Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(15), 368–378. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v10-i15/8423

Dastane, O., Goi, C. L., & Rabbanee, F. (2020). A synthesis of constructs for modelling consumers’ perception of value from mobile-commerce (M-VAL). Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55(3), 102074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102074

Echegaray, F., & Hansstein, F. V. (2017). Assessing the intention-behavior gap in electronic waste recycling: The case of Brazil. Journal of Cleaner Production, 142, 180–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.05.064

Ek, K., & Söderholm, P. (2010). The devil is in the details: Household electricity saving behavior and the role of information. Energy Policy, 38(3), 1578–1587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.11.041

Ellen, P., Eroglu, D., & Webb, D. (1997). Consumer judgments in a changing information environment: how consumers respond to ‘green marketing claims’ (Working paper). Georgia State University.

Enerdata. (2019). Global energy trends & projections. https://www.enerdata.net/publications/reports-presentations/world-energy-trends.html

European Commission. (2016). Ecodesign working plan 2016–2019. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/com_2016_773.en_.pdf

Eysenck, G. (2020). Sensor-based big data applications and computationally networked urbanism in smart energy management systems. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations, 12(1), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.22381/GHIR12120203

Everis & NTT DATA Company. (2017). Energy consumer trends. https://energytrends.everis.com/informe/informe_consumidor_2017.PDF

Frederiks, E. R., Stenner, K., & Hobman, E. V. (2015). The socio-demographic and psychological predictors of residential energy consumption: A comprehensive review. Energies, 8(1), 573–609. https://doi.org/10.3390/en8010573

Ha, H. Y., & Janda, S. (2012). Predicting consumer intentions to purchase energy-efficient products. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(7), 461–469. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363761211274974

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., & Babin, B. J. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective (7 ed.). Pearson Education International.

Harrower, K. (2020). Networked and integrated urban technologies in sustainable smart energy systems. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations, 12(1), 45–51. https://doi.org/10.22381/GHIR12120202

Hartmann, P., & Apaolaza-Ibáñez, V. (2012). Consumer attitude and purchase intention toward green energy brands: The roles of psychological benefits and environmental concern. Journal of Business Research, 65(9), 1254–1263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.11.001

Heikkinen, M. V. J., Nurminen, J. K., Smura, T., & Hämmäinen, H. (2012). Energy efficiency of mobile handsets: Measuring user attitudes and behavior. Telematics and Informatics, 29(4), 387–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2012.01.005

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2014). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

Henseler, J., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). Goodness-of-fit indices for partial least squares path modeling. Computational Statistics, 28(2), 565–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00180-012-0317-1

Hsu, C. L., & Lin, J. C. C. (2015). What drives purchase intention for paid mobile apps? – An expectation confirmation model with perceived value. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 14(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2014.11.003

Ionescu, L. (2020). The economics of the carbon tax: Environmental performance, sustainable energy, and green financial behavior. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations, 12(1), 101–107. https://doi.org/10.22381/GHIR121202010

Ionescu, L. (2021a). Leveraging green finance for low-carbon energy, sustainable economic development, and climate change mitigation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Review of Contemporary Philosophy, 20, 175–186. https://doi.org/10.22381/RCP20202112

Ionescu, L. (2021b). Transitioning to a low-carbon economy: Green financial behavior, climate change mitigation, and environmental energy sustainability. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations, 13(1), 86–96. https://doi.org/10.22381/GHIR13120218

Ishak, M. H. (2017). Modelling energy consumption behaviour using “energy culture” concept for student accommodations in Malaysian public universities. Facilities, 35(11–12), 658–683. https://doi.org/10.1108/F-12-2015-0084

Iyer, P., Davari, A., & Mukherjee, A. (2018). Investigating the effectiveness of retailers’ mobile applications in determining customer satisfaction and repatronage intentions? A congruency perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 44, 235–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.07.017

Jakučionytė-Skodienė, M., Dagiliūtė, R., & Liobikienė, G. (2020). Do general pro-environmental behaviour, attitude, and knowledge contribute to energy savings and climate change mitigation in the residential sector? Energy, 193, 116784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2019.116784

Kemp-Hesterman, A., Glick, S., & Eileen Cross, J. (2014). Reducing electrical energy consumption through behaviour changes. Journal of Facilities Management, 12(1), 4–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-02-2013-0006

Kim, Y., & Choi, S. M. (2005). Antecedents of green purchase behavior: an examination of collectivism, environmental concern, and Pce. NA – Advances in Consumer Research, 32, 592–599.

Kotsopoulos, D., Bardaki, C., Lounis, S., & Pramatari, K. (2018). Employee profiles and preferences towards IoT-enabled gamification for energy conservation. International Journal of Serious Games, 5(2), 65–85. https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v5i2.225

Kuo, T. C., Tseng, M. L., Lin, C. H., Wang, R. W., & Lee, C. H. (2018). Identifying sustainable behavior of energy consumers as a driver of design solutions: The missing link in eco-design. Journal of Cleaner Production, 192, 486–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.250

Lăzăroiu, G., Horak, J., & Valaskova, K. (2020a). Scaring ourselves to death in the time of COVID-19: Pandemic awareness, virus anxiety, and contagious fear. Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations 19, 114–120. https://doi.org/10.22381/LPI1920208

Lăzăroiu, G., Kakova, M., Siekelova, A., & Vrbka, J. (2020b). Addictive behavior of problematic smartphone users: The relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress. Review of Contemporary Philosophy, 19, 50–56. https://doi.org/10.22381/RCP1920204

Marans, R. W., & Edelstein, J. Y. (2010). The human dimension of energy conservation and sustainability: A case study of the University of Michigan’s energy conservation program. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 11(1), 6–18. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371011010011

Martinho, G., Magalhães, D., & Pires, A. (2017). Consumer behavior with respect to the consumption and recycling of smartphones and tablets: An exploratory study in Portugal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 156, 147–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.04.039

McKinsey & Company. (2020). Adapting to the next normal in retail. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/adapting-to-the-next-normal-in-retail-the-customer-experience-imperative

Midden, C. J. H., & Ritsema, B. S. M. (1983). The meaning of normative conservation. Journal of Economic Psychology, 4, 37–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-4870(83)90044-2

Mihajlović, M., Mihajlović, L. S., & Trajković, S. (2021). During a crisis caused by a pandemic, it is best to invest in green energy. Journal of Process Management New Technologies, International, 9(2), 8–18. https://doi.org/10.5937/jouproman9-31416

Mohideen, M. M., Ramakrishna, S., Prabu, S., & Liu, Y. (2021). Advancing green energy solution with the impetus of COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Energy Chemistry, 59, 688–705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jechem.2020.12.005

Mulcahy, R., Russell-Bennett, R., & Iacobucci, D. (2020). Designing gamified apps for sustainable consumption: A field study. Journal of Business Research, 106, 377–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.10.026

Naik, K. (2010). A survey of software based energy saving methodologies for handheld wireless communication devices (Tech. Report No. 2010-13).

Nemțeanu, M. S., & Dabija, D. C. (2020). The influence of heavy work investment on job satisfaction and turnover intention in Romania. Amfiteatru Economic, 22(14), 993–1013. https://doi.org/10.24818/EA/2020/S14/993.

Oikonomou, V., Becchis, F., Steg, L., & Russolillo, D. (2009). Energy saving and energy efficiency concepts for policy making. Energy Policy, 37(11), 4787–4796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.06.035

Paço, A., & Lavrador, T. (2017). Environmental knowledge and attitudes and behaviours towards energy consumption. Journal of Environmental Management, 197, 384–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.03.100

Paswan, A., Guzmán, F., & Lewin, J. (2017). Attitudinal determinants of environmentally sustainable behavior. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 34(5), 414–426. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-02-2016-1706

Pathak, A., Hu, Y. C., & Zhang, M. (2012). Fine grained energy accounting on smartphones with eprof. In EuroSys ‘12: Proceedings of the 7th ACM European Conference on Computer Systems (pp. 29–42).

Pelau, C., & Acatrinei, C. (2019. The paradox of energy consumption decrease in the transition period towards a digital society. Energies, 12(8), 1428. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12081428

Pflugmann, F., & De Blasio, N. (2020). The geopolitics of renewable hydrogen in low-carbon energy markets. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations, 12(1), 9–44. https://doi.org/10.22381/GHIR12120201

Picot-Coupey, K., Krey, N., Huré, E., & Ackermann, C. L. (2021). Still work and/or fun? Corroboration of the hedonic and utilitarian shopping value scale. Journal of Business Research, 126, 578–590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.12.018

Pihkola, H., Hongisto, M., Apilo, O., & Lasanen, M. (2018). Evaluating the energy consumption of mobile data transfer-from technology development to consumer behaviour and life cycle thinking. Sustainability, 10(7), 2494. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072494

Pop, R. A., Saplacan, Z., & Alt, M. A. (2020). Social media goes green-the impact of social media on green cosmetics purchase motivation and intention. Information, 11(9), 447. https://doi.org/10.3390/INFO11090447

Roe, B., Teisl, M. F., Levy, A., & Russell, M. (2001). US consumers’ willingness to pay for green electricity. Energy Policy, 29(11), 917–925. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-4215(01)00006-4

Scott, J., Pera, A., Valaskova, K., Horak, J., & Durana, P. (2020). Problematic smartphone use severity: Behavioral addiction, psychiatric symptoms, and pathological personality traits. Review of Contemporary Philosophy, 19, 64–70. https://doi.org/10.22381/RCP1920206

Sheau-Ting, L., Mohd Basri Baharan, M., Weng-Wai, C., Siaw-Chui, W. (2019). User preferences for communication channels on energy conservation: A case study within Malaysian Government office buildings. Facilities, 37(13–14), 1066–1081. https://doi.org/10.1108/F-05-2018-0063

Smith, A. (2020). Shifting towards digital epidemiological surveillance, virtualized care, and smart internet of things-enabled mobile-based health monitoring systems in response to COVID-19. American Journal of Medical Research, 7(2), 36–42. https://doi.org/10.22381/AJMR7220205

Soava, G., Mehedintu, A., Sterpu, M., & Grecu, E. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity consumption and economic growth in Romania. Energies, 14(9), 2394. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092394

Su, C., & Urban, F. (2021). Circular economy for clean energy transitions: A new opportunity under the COVID-19 pandemic. Applied Energy, 289, 116666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116666

Suki, N. M. (2015). Consumer environmental concern and green product purchase in Malaysia: Structural effects of consumption values. Journal of Cleaner Production, 132, 204–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.087

Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. (2001). Consumer perceived value: The development of a multiple item scale. Journal of Retailing, 77, 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(01)00041-0

Tan, C. S., Ooi, H. Y., & Goh, Y. N. (2017). A moral extension of the theory of planned behavior to predict consumers’ purchase intention for energy-efficient household appliances in Malaysia. Energy Policy, 107, 459–471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.05.027

Tanner, C., & Kast, S. W. (2003). Promoting sustainable consumption: Determinants of green purchases by Swiss consumers. Psychology and Marketing, 20(10), 883–902. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.10101

Thøgersen, J., & Ölander, F. (2006). The dynamic interaction of personal norms and environment-friendly buying behavior: A panel study. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(7), 1758–1780. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00080.x

Tohănean, D., Buzatu, A. I., Baba, C. A., & Georgescu, B. (2020). Business model innovation through the use of digital technologies: Managing risks and creating sustainability. Amfiteatru Economic, 22(55), 758–774. https://doi.org/10.24818/EA/2020/55/758

Valaskova, K., Durana, P., & Adamko, P. (2021). Changes in consumers’ purchase patterns as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mathematics, 9(15), 1788. https://doi.org/10.3390/math9151788.

Vassileva, I., Wallin, F., & Dahlquist, E. (2012). Understanding energy consumption behavior for future demand response strategy development. Energy, 46(1), 94–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2012.02.069

Wang, Q. C., Chang, R., Xu, Q., Liu, X., Jian, I. Y., Ma, Y. T., & Wang, Y. X. (2021). The impact of personality traits on household energy conservation behavioral intentions – An empirical study based on theory of planned behavior in Xi’an. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 43, 100949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2020.100949

Wang, Z., Zhang, B., & Li, G. (2014). Determinants of energy-saving behavioral intention among residents in Beijing: Extending the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, 6(5), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4898363

Wang, Z., Zhang, B., Yin, J., & Zhang, Y. (2011). Determinants and policy implications for household electricity-saving behaviour: Evidence from Beijing, China. Energy Policy, 39(6), 3550–3557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.03.055

Waris, I., & Ahmed, W. (2020). Empirical evaluation of the antecedents of energy-efficient home appliances: Application of extended theory of planned behavior. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 31(4), 915–930. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-01-2020-0001

Waris, I., & Hameed, I. (2020). Promoting environmentally sustainable consumption behavior: an empirical evaluation of purchase intention of energy-efficient appliances. Energy Efficiency, 13, 1653–1664. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12053-020-09901-4

Webb, D., Soutar, G. N., Mazzarol, T., & Saldaris, P. (2013). Self-determination theory and consumer behavioural change: Evidence fromahousehold energy-saving behaviour study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 35, 59–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.04.003

White, K., Habib, R., & Hardisty, D. J. (2019). How to SHIFT consumer behaviors to be more sustainable: A literature review and guiding framework. Journal of Marketing, 83(3), 22–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242919825649

Wilke, C., Richly, S., Götz, S., Piechnick, C., & Aßmann, U. (2013, December). Energy consumption and efficiency in mobile applications: A user feedback study. In Proceedings – 2013 IEEE International Conference on Green Computing and Communications and IEEE Internet of Things and IEEE Cyber, Physical and Social Computing, GreenCom-IThings-CPSCom 2013 (pp. 134–141). https://doi.org/10.1109/GreenCom-iThings-CPSCom.2013.45

Yan, M., Chan, C. A., Gygax, A. F., Yan, J., Campbell, L., Nirmalathas, A., & Leckie, C. (2019). Modeling the total energy consumption of mobile network services and applications. Energies, 12(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12010184

Yuriev, A., Dahmen, M., Paillé, P., Boiral, O., & Guillaumie, L. (2020). Pro-environmental behaviors through the lens of the theory of planned behavior: A scoping review. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 155, 104660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104660

Zhang, Y., Xiao, S., & Zhou, G. (2020). User continuance of a green behavior mobile application in China: An empirical study of Ant Forest. Journal of Cleaner Production, 242, 118497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118497

Zografakis, N., Sifaki, E., Pagalou, M., Nikitaki, G., Psarakis, V., & Tsagarakis, K. P. (2010). Assessment of public acceptance and willingness to pay for renewable energy sources in Crete. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 14(3), 1088–1095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2009.11.009

Zsóka, Á., Szerényi, Z. M., Széchy, A., & Kocsis, T. (2013). Greening due to environmental education? Environmental knowledge, attitudes, consumer behavior and everyday pro-environmental activities of Hungarian high school and university students. Journal of Cleaner Production, 48, 126–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.030