The present study focuses to evaluate and determine the relationship between socio-environmental factors and the solar housing system (SHS) adoption. Moreover, the presented research also gauges the moderating effect of attitude on the direct relationship between socio-environmental factors and solar housing system adoption. For statistical evaluation, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) has been utilized for testing the hypothesized relationships of the research model. The results revealed that the socio-environmental factors comprising social pressure, environmentalism, and cost-benefit trade-off have a significantly positive impact on solar home system adoption. Additionally, attitude positively moderated the relationship between social pressure and environmentalism with SHS adoption. However, the moderation of attitude was found insignificant in the relationship between cost-benefit trade-off and SHS adoption. Conclusively, the outcomes of the current research highlighted the potential drivers leading to the adaptation of solar technology and behavioral intention to buy the respective systems in developing countries. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.