Does smart meter really stimulate households’ sustainable electricity consumption behaviour? An attitudinal-behavioural study

Across nations, unprecedented electricity utilisation arising partly from growing population especially in developing economies, rising environmental abuses and accelerating depletion of natural resources are increasingly challenging the existence of global family, thereby bringing to fore the need to care for and consume resource sustainably. Access to electricity is a requirement for a good standard of living. This research examines contemporary issues regarding what motivates households to consume energy sustainably using smart meter technology widely adjudged a critical tool in electricity/energy management as a proxy for sustainable electricity consumption behaviour. A sample size of 150 households was determined statistically. The questionnaire served as a data collection instrument from respondents. Snowball and judgemental sampling techniques were utilised to recruit participants from under-metred semi-urban areas in Southeastern Nigeria. The structural equation modelling technique was applied to analyse the dataset with the aid of SmartPLS software. The findings indicate that attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control significantly influence behavioural intentions; however, the direct influence of perceived behavioural control on sustainable energy consumption behaviour was not supported. Furthermore, behavioural intention correlates significantly with sustainable energy consumption behaviour. Potential implications of the findings to policy and practice were pointed out.