To achieve energy savings, emerging energy management technologies and programs require customer adoption. Although a variety of models can be used to explain the adoption of energy management technologies and programs, they overlook the seemingly unconventional element of level of affiliation with nature. In fact, connectedness to nature has been identified as an important driver of many pro-environmental behaviors, but its role in proenvironmental technology adoption is also not well understood. Can affiliation with nature help to bridge the apparent gap-and complex chain of events-between sustainable technology adoption and protecting natural resources? Based on survey data from 856 southern California residents, this study investigated the influence of connectedness to nature and other factors on intentions to adopt five energy management technologies and programs: using three platforms to monitor home energy use (website, mobile phone application, inhome display); signing up for a time-of-use pricing plan; and participating in demand response events. Regression results showed that nature connectedness was the strongest predictor of all outcomes such that higher nature connectedness predicted greater likelihood of technology and program adoption. These findings suggest that connectedness to nature may facilitate "bridging the logic gap" between sustainable innovation adoption and environmental protection.
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