Acceptance of energy efficient homes in large Japanese cities: Understanding the inner process of home choice and residence satisfaction

In Japan's Long-term Energy Supply and Demand Outlook, promotion of energy-efficient homes (EEHs) is essential. For most people, however, energy efficiency is not a primary motivating factor when selecting a home. People cannot be satisfied with their own homes just as the home is energy efficient. For EEH promotion policies, it is important to identify factors that affect people's choice of homes and factors that affect their satisfaction with living in their homes. In addition to searching for such factors, constructing a model that explains the process through which people choose homes and are satisfied with living in their homes contributes to the implementation of EEH promotion policies. In this study, we conducted a web questionnaire survey to investigate which factors affect people's choice of EEHs and which factors affect their satisfaction with their residences. Based on observed facts and with reference to a behavioral model in the social psychological field, we constructed a theoretical model that explains the process through which people choose homes and are satisfied with their residences. As a result, in order to promote EEHs, first it is necessary to make people choose EEHs by appealing to their health consciousness and community considerations. Second, it is necessary to have people realize the satisfaction of living in EEHs by following up on how to use EEHs’ technology and by raising awareness of the environment. Based on the observed facts, revealing people's decision-making and physiological process in choosing a home and their satisfaction with their residence is useful for planning EEH promotion policies.