The positive impact of Smart Homes on energy efficiency is heavily dependent
on how consumers use the system after adoption. While the technical aspects of
Smart Home systems and their potential to reduce energy usage is a focus of
various studies, there is a limited consideration of behavioral psychology
while designing systems for energy management. To investigate users' perception
and intention to use Smart Homes to support energy efficiency, we design a
research model by combining a theory of planned behavior and the norm
activation model. We design a questionnaire and conduct a survey targeting
current smart home users (over 350 responses). To analyze the survey results,
we extend the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) by a
random forest algorithm. The findings suggest that personal norms have the
strongest influence on behavioral intention to use Smart Homes for energy
efficiency, followed by the ascription of responsibility. Furthermore, the
results support the effects of attitudes, subjective norms, awareness of
consequences, as well as the moderating effect of past behavior on the
relationship between personal norms and behavioral intentions