Factors affecting accommodation hosts' willingness to use ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs)

Abstract

Clean energy products have increased market share over the past few years. The ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs), however, do not enjoy such a favorable status in China. This research uses the theory of planned behavior to investigate accommodation operators' readiness to adopt GSHPs and the factors that impact their decision. A total of 251 accommodation operators across the nation were investigated. The results show that, financial benefits and policy privilege play a significant positive role in promoting the installation of GSHPs, while the deterrents include installation cost, installation condition, and technical maturity. Unlike previous studies, environmental awareness does not contribute significantly. The insights reached in this research can be used to guide future improvements in ground source heat pump technology, as well as serve as a resource for relevant government departments in developing effective marketing campaigns.

Keywords

• Accommodation operator
• Usage intention
• Ground-source heat pumps
• Policy privilege
• Environmental concern