One Block Off the Grid: The Smart New Way to Go Solar » Friends

“Zero electricity bill is a good thing.”

Shannon — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:36:51 +0000

Lakeview, Louisiana homeowner John Hunt was a part of One Block Off the Grid’s first New Orleans Metro area campaign. He recently explained to WWLTV how he was able to afford to go solar, and how it’s saved him money since. 1BOG just launched its second campaign in the Big Easy, and we’re loving being back in touch with New Orleanians like John. So friendly! We’re still blown away that New Orleanians can get more than 80 percent of their solar paid for by rebates and incentives, and we’re determined to help as many homeowners do that as humanly possible. We also got a 15 percent group discount with South Coast Solar!

1BOG Member, John Hunt

1BOG featured on Bay Area 6 O’Clock news tonight!

Rebecca — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:44:02 +0000

Check out awesome 1BOG customers Glenn Trewitt and Wil Renczes sharing their experiences going solar with 1BOG on CBS local news station KPIX with Len Ramirez this evening!

http://cbs5.com/video/?id=62401@kpix.dayport.com

Sam “One more reason to love sunny days!” Weinberger

Rebecca — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:02:55 +0000

Sam Weinberger participated in 1BOG’s San Francisco April ‘09 Campaign. Read on to hear about his experience going solar!

“I’d been thinking about going solar for over a year when I signed up to be part of One Block Off the Grid’s San Francisco community in April 2009. My roof was not shaded with trees and my electricity bills were high as I work from home. I had done some of my own research, spent hours interviewing local installers and collecting quotes and proposals, but each of those installers was selling their own specific product and I still had general questions that were unanswered.

I put the whole solar idea on the back burner until I read an article about 1BOG in the San Francisco Chronicle. I signed up online and within a few days got a call from a 1BOG solar adviser who was able to answer all of the questions that had gone unanswered by the installers I had met with previously. They told me exactly what to expect and even gave me a list of questions to ask the solar installer company they partnered with, Real Goods Solar.

The Real Goods team was very professional and customer-oriented. I signed up for 1BOG online in Spring 2009, and by August, Real Goods Solar had installed my solar system and it was up and running. 1BOG runs a competition for each campaign to choose a good installer and negotiates a fixed rate for everyone that is published on their site. I learned first-hand how difficult and complicated it can be to go solar and it’s great that someone is making the process more user-friendly.

The PVWATCH service sends me an email every evening giving the day’s power production, and after six months, I still enjoy seeing my dwindling electricity bills! We also enjoy pointing out the glimmer of our solar panels when we take visitors to see the view from the top of Twin Peaks!”

Interested in Solar? Live in Anaheim?

BradB from 1BOG — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:41:14 +0000

If both of those are true then it’s your lucky day. Solar Power International, the country’s largest solar conference with 25,000 industry leaders from around the globe, is coming to your neighborhood. The event will be three days long and 1BOG Founder Dave Llorens will be speaking there. While Dave is great, here’s the exciting part for you…

On Wednesday October 28th, the conference organizers are throwing the exhibit floor open to the public for free.

The evening features over 900 exhibits of the latest solar technology , a job center for aspiring industry workers, and special educational sessions on timely solar issues, taught by top-notch colleagues like Andy Black of On-Grid Solar and Liz Merry of Verve Solar. It’s a great opportunity to learn the latest about world of solar. And it’s free.

Wednesday, October 28th
5:30 to 8:30 pm
Anaheim Convention Center.

Details here:

http://s36.a2zinc.net/clients/sepa/sepa2009/public/Content.aspx?ID=359&sortMenu=105009

A 1BOG Solar Installation – Pics!

Dave — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:15:24 +0000

Hank found us through an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, signed up, and after he got his new asphalt shingle roof installed, had a solar system installed as part of 1BOG’s SF Bay Area Solar Energy Group Purchase Campaign. Installed August 20th, the system was OK’ed and interconnected to the grid by PG&E on September 10th. Hank says the meter on his Orinda, CA home is currently spinning backwards. “Hooray,” Hank says. He was nice enough to send us some photos of the job.

Congrats Hank, thanks for being a part of this.

Learn How to Reduce Your Carbon Foot Print

erica — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:01:24 +0000

Free workshops in Berkeley, CA: How to reduce your carbon footprint

You’ve already taken a major step in addressing climate change by installing or considering solar power for your home. Through the Ecology Center’s Climate Change Action Groups and one-session Facilitator Trainings, you can join with other community members in a supportive, engaging and creative setting to deepen your commitment to mitigating climate change.

Upcoming Ecology Center Climate Change Action Groups:

JULY

Mondays from 6-8pm: July 13, 20 and 27 OR

Tuesdays from 6-8pm: July 14, 21 and 28

AUGUST

Mondays from 6-8pm: August 3, 10, 17 and 24 OR

Tuesdays from 6-8pm: August 4, 11, 18 and 25

During these weekly sessions, you will work in a team with a small group of Bay Area residents to calculate your carbon footprint, create a measurable personal action plan to reduce your footprint, and make substantive changes in your community. All sessions are held at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave (at Dwight), Berkeley. Participation is free. A $10 fee (at cost) will be charged for the Low Carbon Diet workbook. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Already have a light footprint? Learn how to start your own Climate Change Action Group by attending a facilitator training.

Upcoming Facilitator Trainings:

Thursday, July 30, 6-8:30pm

Check the Ecology Center website for August training date (TBA)

To register, contact debra@ecologycenter.org or call 510-548-2220 x240. For more information, visit www.ecologycenter.org

A note about Canvassing…

BradB from 1BOG — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:21:44 +0000

Our organizers and volunteers have done a spectacular job of getting the word out in their communities, dropping flyers at coffee shops in Denver, or going door-to-door in San Diego and Berkeley, or attending neighborhood council meetings and info sessions in Oakland.

It is always tricky entering communities that previously have never been spoken to about any cause – whether it’s saving the pandas, cleaning up trash, or voting for the president – because they don’t want to be bothered. Similarly, it is always tricky entering communities that are often spoken to about causes, because they don’t want to be bothered anymore. The majority of the people who we’ve spoken to in neighborhoods throughout the regions where we have our live campaigns have been enthusiastic and supportive of our desire to get the word out and offer communities commitment free opportunities to learn more about solar and benefit from the buying power of groups, should they choose to. That said, there are people who are frustrated with our approach, and our model.

To all of you, I understand. I’ve been called, and had people young and old approach me on the street, come to my door, and contact me by mail. I’ve been invited to town hall sessions and community meetings about this cause or that, and in the past I always used to say no. Not only that, but I ignored the majority of those requests. Then I followed up with one of them – I let the organizer rope me in, and recruit me to join in the effort. It was a transformative experience for me. As forward-thinking and motivated by the notion of change that I thought i was, I only realized when I actually did participate, that I was a statistic in the conventional wisdom that change can’t happen! I was one of the very people I thought didn’t exist. I’ve spent most of my time since trying to make up for it. Let me just say, having rolled my eyes at these poor kids with clipboards, or the strange folks at my door with t-shirts and pins and buttons on, I understand where you’re coming from; give them a chance.

A community program is only successful if a community is supports it! Thanks for your continued support, and please let us know if you’ve got any questions, comments, or complaints as you encounter our organizers and volunteers in your communities!

One Block Off the Grid goes Canvassing!

admin — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:36:33 +0000

There are many ways in which we are quite different from most other organizations. We have a team of people whose backgrounds vary from solar salesman to real estate agent to campaign organizer to summer camp counselor to city government policy maker. Each of us serves a very unique purpose, and it is incredible watching us work together. Well, it’s incredible to me.

And my favorite part of 1BOG’s extended family has to be the field team. We’ve got people who are out knocking on doors (check out the volunteer page to see them strategize), and getting the word out about our program launching in Oakland and Berkeley.

You think the 1BOG team has diverse backgrounds? This past weekend we had volunteers and organizers meeting to set tactical strategy for their weekend canvass. In one room we had an interior designer, a journalist, a green activist, a business school student, a biochemical engineer, a political campaign organizer, and a college student.

When some people think about “solar” and “green technology”, they have an image in their mind of the type of people that would respond best to that stuff. We’re out to prove that image wrong, door-knock by door-knock!

Hit up the volunteer page if you wanna bring your skills to a very diverse table that is helping get the word out in communities all over the country.

Sustainability is an Investment

BradB from 1BOG — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:41:40 +0000

As you may know, I’ve been working on our Sonoma County campaign and have been doing a lot of research on the AB 811 municipal solar financing that the county is offering. I came across a fantastic blog post by Galley Eco Capital about the loan program, check it out.

Galley Eco Capital has a strong commitment to sustainability. The firm advises clients about how to maximize profits from their sustainable real estate investments. Here at 1BOG, we know that making sustainable choices doesn’t have to mean paying more or sacrificing profit, and so we love to see companies embrace this business model.