One Block off the Grid

Reporter K Kaufman of The Desert Sun today unveiled the upcoming Monday launch of a new 1BOG discount solar buying program in Coachella Valley.  The program will be the second with program partner, HelioPower. 

From The Desert Sun, "Solar panel company to offer a lower price:"

One Block Off the Grid, the San Francisco-based company that creates buyers' groups to help bring down the cost of solar panels, is kicking off its second Coachella Valley campaign Monday, offering residents the chance to go solar for $5.29 a watt.

That's 20 cents less than the basic price the company offered in the valley last year, when HelioPower, its local installer, put 36 systems on roofs across the region.

That success, and the business it generated, led HelioPower to open a Palm Desert office, said Scott Gordon, vice president for residential sales. The company previously handled its valley business from Murrieta.

“The reason we got the price down is now we're local. We don't have to account for all the mileage and the transportation for the crews,” he said.

A basic 5-kilowatt system would cost about $14,000 after the state's solar rebate and federal tax credit, he said. The system would pay for itself within five to eight years.

For the campaign, HelioPower also will offer two higher-priced options: one at $5.49 a watt and a top-of-the-line, high-efficiency panel at $6.99 a watt.

Other area solar installers such as RealGood Solar and Solar Distributors said they are offering similar prices.

HelioPower also will offer power purchase or lease agreements where the company installs the solar panels and residents pay a low, set rate for the electricity they produce.

HelioPower 1BOG solar installation for Cecile Morgan of Rancho Mirage

Cecile Morgan of Rancho Mirage took advantage of One Block Off the Grid's campaign last year to put a 7.2-kilowatt system on her 2,800-square-foot home thinking it would cover about 80 percent of her and her husband's electrical use.

“It's doing 100 percent and a bit more, and we are stoked,” Morgan said.

“I felt comfortable with 1BOG because they vetted the installer and did all the homework,” she said. “That's the scary part. That's what stopped us for a very long time.”

The campaign will run from Monday through mid-January. To register, go to 1BOG's website, www.1bog.com.

Once registered, residents will be contacted first by a 1BOG representative to ensure their home is appropriate for solar and then by HelioPower.

HelioPower, a leading solar power design and installation firm since 2001, today announced it has been selected by One Block Off the Grid (1BOG), the nation’s largest solar group discount company, to offer homeowners an easy and affordable way to go solar in the Inland Empire (IE) and Orange county areas. The program ends September 14, 2010.

HelioPower’s “The Best Time to Go Solar Just Got Better!” campaign will offer homeowners throughout the IE and Orange County the opportunity to take advantage of 1BOG’s 15%* group discount on home solar panel installation. In addition to great solar power system pricing, HelioPower, a SunRun home solar financing partner, will be able to offer zero down financing to qualified buyers.

"We are thrilled to recognize HelioPower as 1BOG's installer partner, to service 1BOG member homeowners in the Inland Empire and Orange County with top notch solar installations at a great, pre-negotiated price," said Dave Llorens, CEO of 1BOG. "HelioPower has always been a fantastic partner to 1BOG and we selected them for the customer service, track record of successful installs and reliable warranties."

Scott Gordon, HelioPower’s vice president of residential sales, commented on the campaign: “We are very pleased to be the partner selected for 1BOG’s Inland Empire and Orange County campaigns. This most recent selection validates HelioPower as a value driven solar integration company that provides high quality installations at affordable prices. We have already helped over 130 1BOG members go solar in previous campaigns and we look forward to helping 1BOG’s newest members realize their solar ambitions. When we combine 1BOG’s pre-negotiated pricing with SunRun financing, the best time to go solar just got better for those in the Inland Empire and Orange County.”

HelioPower and 1BOG will kick off the Inland Empire campaign with a solar education event, Wednesday, June 16^th. The event will feature opening remarks from Renea Wickman, Democratic candidate for California Assembly District 63, in her first post-primary public appearance. The event will take place June 16^th, 2010 at 6:30pm at The Frontier Project, a USGBC LEED certified green building in Rancho Cucamonga.

To sign up for the HelioPower events please visit here for solar event information. More information about solar in the Inland Empire can be found at the Solar Inland Empire 1BOG website. Homeowners in Orange County can find details about solar pricing, products and local events by visiting 1BOG’s Orange County solar specific information.

Scott Gordon at HelioPower Introduces 1BOG solar Inland Empire and solar Orange county programs

An excerpt from the original 1BOG solar post by Warren Schirtzinger for Renewable Energy World.com:

When faced with a purchase decision that involves high

1BOG solar purchasing campaign installation in Palm Springs by HelioPower

cost and/or high risk, pragmatic customers (starting with the early majority) will not buy until they see proven/leading suppliers, references from people they trust, and reliability of service.  1BOG helps mainstream customers meet these buying requirements by offering a unique combination of group purchasing/installation and objective advice.

1BOG's service organizes homeowners in a given area and allows them to purchase and install solar as a group.  In addition to negotiating a volume discount of about 15%, 1BOG acts as an independent provider of quality assurance and objective information.  To qualify as a 1BOG vendor, local solar companies must go through a rigorous evaluation of their products, installation practices, and longterm stability as a company. Customers are also provided with assistance and support in the areas of rebates/incentives, financing and permits.

While most people would point to the 15% reduction in cost or the assistance provided with bureaucracy and paperwork as the primary benefits of 1BOG's program, I believe the true power of their approach is in helping reduce the perceived risk of solar.

In the world of high risk the customer will not rely on the word of a vendor. The customer’s decision process is based on finding objective information from reliable sources, something the vendor cannot provide.  1BOG reduces the perception of risk by acting as that provider of objective information.  1BOG facilitates references from trusted sources (by organizing buyers into self-referencing groups), and then provides evidence of expertise and product quality (by vetting local solar providers).

NBC affiliate Cox Media reporter Diana Guevara caught up with HelioPower's Scott Gordon and solar power client Robert Schmalz in Oceanside for her solar piece Monday, January 25.  Schmalz, a HelioPower client who went solar just recently through the solar San Diego 1BOG program, talks about solar as a smart investment:

One Block Off the Grid (1BOG), the nation's largest solar buying collective, announced today the selection of HelioPower as the installation partner in their newest San Diego solar community buying campaign.  The campaign will make it easy and affordable for San Diego homeowners to purchase solar energy at a group discount rate. By signing up online for free membership to the San Diego 1BOG community, homeowners can enjoy personalized, impartial advice, and receive solar power systems at only $5.29 per watt from the 1BOG selected installer partner, HelioPower.

1BOG's first San Diego campaign ran from May to August 2009 and generated interest from more than 980 local resident 1BOG community members. Working with installer partners HelioPower and groSolar, the first 1BOG San Diego campaign was responsible for almost 10% of the entire region's solar installations for 2009 . For this second 1BOG San Diego campaign, 1BOG selected solar company HelioPower to service the community throughout the entire San Diego metro area with high quality solar panels at the lowest price ever offered.

As California's leading city for solar power, San Diego is working toward the City's 2003 goal of utilizing 50 megawatts of solar power within the city limits by 2013 . However, solar power adoption is still less than 1%.

"We are excited to once again be working with HelioPower to provide the easiest and most affordable way for San Diego homeowners to go solar," said Dave Llorens, Co-founder and General Manager at 1BOG. "Our joint program will offer the city the best solar pricing it has ever seen and will cement San Diego's reputation as California's leading city for solar power."

"We were thrilled to have been selected for the second time to serve the 1BOG San Diego community," said Scott Gordon, Vice President, Residential Sales for HelioPower. "Partnering with 1BOG to offer San Diego residents dramatic group discounts for solar installations earlier this year enabled us to more than double our install rates for the quarter and affect a significant dent in San Diego's solar goals and the widespread acceptance of the solar industry."

In addition to serving the 1BOG San Diego community, HelioPower was also selected as installer partner for the current 1BOG Coachella Valley campaign. 1BOG chose HelioPower for the company's unbeatable group pricing, track record of successful and timely installations and reliable warranties offered. For details about the different packages available, visit: www.SolarSanDiego.1bog.org/campaign-costs.
 
The San Diego 1BOG program is available now to local homeowners in the entire San Diego metro area through February 12, 2010. For more information or to sign up, visit the 1BOG Solar San Diego homepage.
 
1BOG and HelioPower will be hosting a free Webinar and online information session with details about the  San Diego solar program on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. PST. To sign up visit: www.SolarSanDiego.1bog.org/faqs-and-webinar.