Meet a virtual “human” tour guide and tap into resources for making your home more energy efficient with renewable energy, green “smart” home products and financing options at the new, free Virtual Green Home Show hosted by EGM Connect.
The “events” are held on a 3D interactive virtual platform during the show on October 28-31. As attendees enter the show, they will see a number of house shaped booths that comprise a virtual village. There are eight host homes providing information on green/sustainable products and technologies, smart homes and smart grids, renewable energy systems, hybrid/electric vehicles, healthy homes, energy-efficient and zero-energy buildings, financing options and education/certification opportunities.
Attendees can customize their own ‘human’ avatar that walks from booth to booth to gather information just like a conventional tradeshow. The avatars are identifiable and attendees can recognize and chat with each other, exchange business cards and even have live conversations including video via Skype. Avatars also interact with vendor representatives in each booth to collect brochures, product literature and contact information in their virtual trade show bag for later retrieval. Information stored in the show bag can then be downloaded directly to a computer or other storage option.
Show founder, Ken Riead, is putting a specific focus on financing options for homeowners’ energy efficiency projects.
“What good is it to design the most energy-efficient and green features for a new residence or residential retrofit if financing for these upgrades can be difficult to obtain?” he said. There will be information on several financing options for energy upgrades.
Visitors can also listen to speakers, including:
- Dan Chiras, president of Sustainable Systems Design and author of several books on green houses, on how Americans can learn to grow food in small spaces from Chinese greenhouses.
- Kevin Kennedy, managing director of the Center for Environmental Health at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, on creating healthy indoor environments to fight allergies, asthma and other air related illnesses.
- George Van Hoesen, a partner at Global Green Building, on holistic energy modeling using HeatCoolDomes, a hybrid ground-source heat pump system.
- Sharla Riead, owner and lead trainer at Accurate Rater Network, on return on investment for energy upgrades and energy mortgage options.
“Attending an EGM Connect Trade Show is like going to a home show that is focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and green products,” said Riead. “The big change is that this trade show is virtual and accessible on a 24/7 basis from the comfort of a computer or mobile device.”
Show attendance is free with registration at Virtual Green Home Show.
