We’re pleased to announce a partnership with our member company EnergySageTM to host the new virtual component of the Green Buildings Open House (GBOH) program. The virtual tour supports NESEA’s Green Buildings Open House program which allows participants to visit host sites to see firsthand the renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements implemented in their communities. In 2011, more than 10,000 people toured 504 GBOH host sites throughout the Northeast, including homes, businesses, and public buildings.
“In partnering with EnergySage, we hope to provide participants with a deeper, more robust experience as they tour this year’s projects,” says Jennifer Marrapese, Executive Director of NESEA. “Our mission to drive broader adoption of energy efficiency and sustainability is directly aligned with that of EnergySage. As consumers learn from their peers who have successfully implemented renewable solutions, and become more familiar with these technologies, they are more likely to start using them themselves.”
The virtual complement to NESEA’s GBOH tour hosted on EnergySage.com provides visitors and hosts with new, enhanced features and additional opportunities to discover and be discovered. The property profiles featured on EnergySage.com give each host the opportunity to share detailed information, advice and experience online with potential visitors as well as those unable to physically visit the sites. Online visitors and tour participants learn what motivated the host to invest in energy efficiency and clean energy systems such as solar, wind, geothermal, what advice he or she might have for others considering similar energy investments, as well as the costs and results achieved both in energy savings and financial returns. Because the tour is fully integrated with the comprehensive suite of resources available on the EnergySage web site, GBOH listings are linked directly to additional information such as brand and vendor profiles and reviews, explanations of the full range of clean energy technologies and applications, automated tools to determine appropriate technologies for specific properties, and help with executing a purchase.
This is an example of EnergySage’s profiles.
For our member network of sustainable energy and sustainable building professionals, the virtual tour is a valuable marketing vehicle for extending brand recognition and increasing a potential consumer’s awareness of their experience and capabilities. Through these customer testimonials, consumers will be able to see the actual results of NESEA members’ work in action. These case studies showcase examples of energy efficiency and clean energy installations across a broad range of applications, property types and geographies, giving consumers confidence to take action for their own properties.
“EnergySage’s research shows that a lack of clear understanding of these technologies and their economics is a major stumbling block to consumer purchases,” said Vikram Aggarwal, CEO of EnergySage. “We are delighted to partner with NESEA on its virtual Green Buildings Open House tour to provide the information and transparency needed to remove these barriers and bring clean energy into the mainstream.”
In more exciting news, on June 13, EnergySage announced that it received a Department of Energy SunShot Startup Investment to further its efforts to make clean energy more accessible to consumers.
Current clean energy system owners can create profiles of their clean energy installations and energy efficiency improvements at: http://www.energysage.com/share-your-experience
