Analysis of the Cause of Household Carbon Lock-In for Chinese Urban Households

Lingyun Mi, Yuhuan Sun, Lijie Qiao, Tianwen Jia, Yang Yang and Tao Lv
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Lingyun Mi: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Yuhuan Sun: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Lijie Qiao: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Tianwen Jia: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Yang Yang: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: Household energy conservation is an important contributor to achieve the carbon emission reduction target. However, the actual energy-saving effect of Chinese households is under expectation. One reason for this is because household energy consumption is locked in at a certain level, which has become an obstacle to household carbon emission reduction. In order to reduce this obstacle, this study explored the cause of household carbon lock-in based on grounded theory, targeting newly furnished households. A theoretical model was developed to reveal the formation mechanism of carbon lock-in effect in the purchasing process of household energy-using appliances. NVivo 12 software was used to analyze the decoration diaries of 616 sample households, and the results showed that (1) the direct antecedent of the household carbon lock-in effect was the lock-in of purchasing behavior, and the household carbon lock-in effect was mainly exhibited in the consumption path dependence (of energy-using appliances) and the solidification of energy structure; (2) the willingness to purchase household appliances was the direct antecedent of purchasing behavioral lock-in, and the cost had a moderating effect on the transformation from purchase willingness to behavioral lock-in; and (3) in the process of purchasing household appliances, reference groups, value perception, and ecological awareness can promote purchasing behavioral lock-in by affecting willingness of purchase. Suggestions to promote unlocking of household carbon were also proposed.

Keywords: carbon lock-in; grounded theory; household appliances purchasing; household energy consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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