Consumer Factors Affecting the Adoption of Pellet Fires: A qualitative study into the motivations and barriers for New Zealand householders

Abstract

The supply of fossil fuels is at risk of depletion due to dwindling supplies and energy consumption. This has lead to worldwide urgency for the need to develop technological innovations that provide comfortable heat from sustainable sources. New Zealand householders looking to heat their homes have various options from a range of renewable energy resources. With the acceptance by the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand for the patent on a new style fuel feed system for a pellet fire, several marketing issues were revealed that needed investigation. This thesis takes a qualitative approach to discover 1) what factors affect the decision to purchase, or not purchase, a pellet fire and/or pellet fire central heating system; 2) what type of person is more likely to select a pellet fire as their preferred heat source; and 3) what country, or countries, would be the most attractive in terms of export potential for the new style pellet fire. Focus groups were conducted in three cities in New Zealand with participants informing the researcher of their motivations for adopting pellet fires. These were: whole house heating; appearance of unit – stylish and contemporary; environmentally concerned – using a zero carbon fuel; pollution – over 90% efficient thus less emissions; fuel convenience – easy to purchase, store and use; maintenance – minimal cleaning required; interface – timer and heat output controller; health – consistent temperature achievable; ambience – flame effect; specialist advisor – one-stop service; and safety – safe for all ages to use. The barriers to adopting pellet fires were: dependence on electricity – can’t be used in power cuts; house layout – retrofitting renovations expensive; fuel dependency – reliant on one source of fuel only; affordability of unit and fuel – high capital outlay and perceived fuel costs; and payback – time taken before a return on the investment is made. This person does their best to ‘save the planet’, and using a pellet fire goes some way to achieving this, both practically and cognitively. Environmentally, the attitude-behaviour gap exists in these people. After careful deliberation of various international markets, Australia was determined to be the best initial market to export the pellet fires to given the country’s proximity, free trade agreement, growing economy, cultural similarities and an underserved market.