They are young, they are hip and they are bringing solar to a town near you. They are One Block Off the Grid and they hosted a “solar soiree” at MacArthur Place on Wednesday night to demystify solar energy for Valley residents.
1BOG, as the company is known, combines the strategies of political activism with renewable energy education and Silicon-Valley’s start-up culture to organize residential group solar purchases. As Sonoma’s residents get educated about solar, 1BOG is ready and waiting to help them make the move.
“The inherent problem with homeowners who are looking to make a solar purchase is that it can be expensive, it’s complicated, and people don’t know who to trust since most of their friends and associates know as little about solar as they do. It’s a little like buying a new car,” said Dave Llorens, 1BOG co-founder and general manager.
Llorens co-founded 1BOG with the husband-and-wife team of Dan Barahona and Sylvia Ventura. They want to educate the public and spread the word about how truly affordable and easy to install solar energy can be. The company uses a group strategy to help people in a community go through the somewhat overwhelming process together.
“It’s a simple concept – 1BOG organizes big groups of people who want to get solar energy, does the legwork for them and then gets them a bulk discount,” said Llorens.
In Sonoma County the Energy Independence Program (SCEIP) enables property owners to finance energy efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy improvements through a voluntary assessment which is then treated as a lien on their property; the assessment is not attached to the homeowner. The assessment is then paid back over time through the property-tax system helping to make the program more affordable for homeowners looking for energy efficiency.
Allowable improvements for both energy and water efficiency under SCEIP include insulation, cool roofing, heating and air-conditioning systems, waterless urinals, energy efficient windows and of course, solar panels. It should be noted that improvements must be for existing buildings, not new construction.
Participating in SCEIP is easy and the steps are detailed on their Web site: empoweredbysolar.com. Interested consumers can simply use the services of 1BOG, which works with SCEIP to motivate and incentivize homeowners.
“We work to educate the public about solar and make it easy for them to take the next steps. Our Web site has an online estimation tool that guides users through the installation options. Homeowners can also apply for SCEIP on our site as well,” said Llorens.
The 1BOG Web site, 1bog.org, makes use of a map which shows where other people in a given area have taken the solar leap. The site also has an incredible amount of information about how solar works, the companies 1BOG works with – which are all leaders in the industry, and other communities where solar power has taken root as well as information on additional rebates and tax credits.
The bottom line, Llorens said is the 1BOG group approach has several benefits for customers. These include making the process as simple and painless as possible, discounts for buying in bulk, and finally, safety in numbers as interests are aligned between 1BOG and the consumers they are serving.
Gregory Di Cristina, a business broker in San Diego, was a participant in 1BOG’s May solar program. He anticipates his solar installation to be fully completed by year’s end.
“As I get closer to completion of the project, it continues to annoy me that I burn fossil fuels for my power. I was researching news articles about advances in solar when I came across 1BOG’s Web site. The value proposition of aggregating buyers to reduce installation expense was very compelling, and after filling out an application online I was contacted by 1BOG,” said Di Cristina.
According to Di Cristina, 1BOG consultant answered his questions about financing and lease options and provided him with a “state-of-the-industry” solar education. They explain the solar installation process and his options. Di Cristina said that it was especially helpful to learn about the extensive screening process 1BOG subjects installers to.
“They did the leg-work so that I didn’t need to. They looked at the factory, process, business model and previous solar projects to ensure that when I moved forward with the installation, I would receive a value-based price from a high-quality service provider. I would definitely recommend 1BOG to anyone considering a solar installation,” said Di Cristina.
One burning question remains: exactly how much does installing solar cost? Obviously the end price depends on a home’s square footage, its energy needs and consumer preferences. Some consumers want a system large enough so as to never receive an energy bill again. Others simply want to eliminate their “expensive power” like heating and air-conditioning. Whatever the case, customers can get a fair estimate of system cost and size simply by keying the numbers on a past energy bill into the 1BOG online estimation tool. After that, a 1BOG consultant will contact the homeowner, conduct an evaluation and detail the next steps.
Llorens is quick to point out that there is never an obligation or commitment to proceed, even after an evaluation. If a homeowner does decide to go solar, they can rest assured that 1BOG has checked out the installation company and has done the legwork already. Once the process is set in motion, somewhere between four and eight weeks will elapse before installation can take place – backlogs are more frequent in the summer months. Actual panel installation takes just a couple days.
Llorens and his co-founders can’t stress enough how simple the solar purchase and installation process can be for home owners. Their goal is to make others understand and take the leap into solar energy.
“Knowledge is power so education is an enormous part of our process. We look forward to helping people learn more so that the perceived obstacles to installing solar can be eliminated,” said Llorens.
Sample solar cost break out:
Average System Size 3kW DC (4 kilowatts or 4000 dc watts) – includes monitoring
Gross Cost (Market rate) $27,000 (4000 x $6.75/watt dc)
1BOG Group Discount -$2,800 (4000 x $.70/watt dc, since our price is 6.05)
State Rebate -$3,468 ($1.10 per AC watt = $0.867/watt dc)
Fed Tax Credit -$6,220 (30 percent * out of pocket)
NET COST $14,512
Using SCEIP program to finance (7 percent or better over 20 years)
$112.51/mo. Flat rate for 20 years.
