Sustainable Home HQ

Sustainability technologies currently have a low adoption rate in Australian homes

An open-public survey helped us better understand this issue and the answers were essential to shape this online platform towards public interests and needs.

Timeline

Methodology

This research is based on three theories:

Professor Frank Geels multi-level on perspective theory diagram
Everett Rogers's innovation-decision process theory including the five characteristics that determine an innovation-adoption rate, take-off curve and adopter categorisation curve and
Elizabeth Shove and Gordon Walker's multi-relation way of thinking.

Together the three theories agree that there is no straightforward answer to sociotechnical transitions, but many factors interacting and co-evolving in a dynamic system

The diagram below demonstrates how all the three theories communicate with each other.

Not all individuals are ready to change at the same time. Behaviour, mindset and custom practice changes occur over time and are dependant on a series of actions.

The interdependencies and dynamic interaction between factors that provoke sociotechnical transitions is explored by Frank Geels theory and by Elizabeth Shove and Gordon Walker’s theory

Correlating it with Everett Rogers's theory, he describes an innovation-decision process as the process in which an individual goes through knowledge to persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation.
He also identifies five characteristics that determine the rate of an innovation-decision process, which are:

Trialability - practices and technologies are tested
Observability - trial results can be seen
Complexity - technologies and practices can be better understood
Compatibility - it can then become more socially accepted
Relative Advantage - finally, a technology and/or practice can be seen as advantageous

These steps can all be identified as essential for confirmation occurrence and internal momentum increase.
This internal momentum increase can be seen happening once an innovation reaches its tipping point, which according to Roger’s theory, once an innovation is accepted and adopted by 10 to 20% of individuals it reaches its tipping point generating what is known as Roger’s take-off curve.

Once an innovation reaches the mainstream, its consistent acceptance and adoption may pressure policymakers, markets and utilities creating new trends towards a transition to longer-term changes.