Eco-friendly smart home technologies: exploring investor perspectives on adoption drivers and barriers

Abstract

Purpose

This paper identifies the most significant eco-friendly smart home technology (eco-SHT) adoption drivers and barriers for investors. Findings highlight potential investor approaches to overcome these adoption barriers within the stages of the innovation-decision process (IDP), helping to increase investments towards eco-SHTs, ultimately fostering sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

With 42 interviews, the studies’ qualitative research design entails two in-depth semi-structured interview rounds. While integrating the IDP, the first set of interviews identify the most common investor adoption drivers and barriers regarding eco-SHTs. The second interview round fixates on potential approaches to overcome the identified barriers.

Findings

Regulatory and ideological factors, financial considerations, market dynamics and demand, user aspects and technology and integration are the main eco-SHT adoption drivers and barriers from an investor perspective. Approaches to overcome these obstacles entail educative and awareness initiatives, refined financial planning and incentives, strategic market positioning and partnerships, user-centric designs and feedback and improved technological integration and support.

Originality/value

By extending beyond traditional analyses of supply-demand dynamics, costs and returns, this research examines eco-SHTs from an investor’s perspective, while strategically investigating the key drivers, barriers and methods to address these challenges. The study incorporates multidimensional factors other than typical investor concerns, offering a comprehensive, multidisciplinary perspective. It covers all IDP stages, constructing a matrix of drivers, obstacles and supporting strategies to advance sustainability within the real estate sector.

Citation

Schäfer, J.J. and Hennig, K.H. (2025), "Eco-friendly smart home technologies: exploring investor perspectives on adoption drivers and barriers", Journal of European Real Estate Research, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JERER-04-2024-0020