The age-old adage, ‘seeing is believing,’ is certainly true when it comes to convincing people to install solar, wind, geothermal systems and make energy efficiency improvements. When people see these technologies for themselves, it goes a long way toward making them comfortable enough to implement them at their own properties.

Case in point, the 2012 Green Building Open House Tour (GBOH) hosted by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) http://www.nesea.org/gboh/ in partnership with EnergySage. The GBOH is the largest sustainable energy event in the northeastern U.S., showcasing homes, businesses and public buildings with clean energy systems, and energy efficient designs, systems and products. Last year, more than 11,000 people toured more than 500 properties in the Northeast to see firsthand the sustainability improvements happening in their communities.

The 2012 Tour will take place on Saturday, October 13th featuring properties in ten northeastern states from Maine to Delaware. People interested in learning more about these energy improvements in a real-life setting, can visit the host properties in their area, or just review the profiles online in the corresponding virtual tour hosted here on EnergySage.com.

Home and business owners who’ve already installed a clean energy system or made efficiency upgrades to their properties can share their experiences and results with others by serving as a host property on the tour and/or by creating a project profile for the virtual tour. Instructions for both options can be found here on www.EnergySage.com. The profiles serve a vital purpose, dispelling misconceptions about everything from aesthetics to cost and benefits and helping to convince people about the suitability of these technologies in a variety of settings.

The GBOH tour is focused on bringing sustainable energy into the mainstream. Tour participants get to see these systems in action and learn from their peers who have successfully implemented renewable solutions. They leave the tour feeling inspired, better informed, and more likely to start using these technologies themselves.

For a complete listing of EnergySage properties on the open house tour, go to: http://www.energysage.com/projects/nesea-gboh-listing