Consumer-facing digital innovations with the potential to reduce carbon emissions often exist in small market niches and their impact has been limited thus far. Using the established Diffusion of Innovations theory which considers interpersonal communication amongst social networks to be a vital mechanism for exchanging information, we conducted an online survey in the UK to investigate the social networks and communication behaviours of adopters and non-adopters of three different energy saving smart home technologies. Applying social network analysis and statistically testing hypotheses, our results reveal the potential social barriers to the diffusion of information, with social network structure and characteristics creating obstacles. This research provides necessary insights into real early adopters, confirms the importance of focussing research on the often-neglected social elements of diffusion theory and helps identify marketing strategies and policy actions using social mechanisms to accelerate a low carbon transition.

面向消费者的数字创新具有减少碳排放的潜力，通常存在于小型市场壁and中，迄今为止其影响是有限的。利用建立的创新扩散理论，该理论认为社交网络之间的人际交流是交换信息的重要机制，我们在英国进行了一项在线调查，以调查三种不同节能方式的采用者和非采用者的社交网络和交流行为智能家居技术。应用社交网络分析和统计检验假设，我们的结果揭示了信息传播的潜在社会障碍，而社交网络的结构和特征构成了障碍。这项研究为真正的早期采用者提供了必要的见识，