1BOG
Encyclopedia
1BOG is a San Francisco, California
based company which organizes community buying of solar power
to make the process more affordable and transparent for residential consumers, and to foster an environment of community activism and responsibility.
1BOG is often mistakenly referred to as iBOG, possibly due to confusion with “i-products” (iPod
, iPhone
, etc.).
1BOG's co-founders are Dave Llorens, Sylvia Ventura and Dan Barahona.
Chairman of 1BOG's board is Steve Newcomb, who is also the chairman of Serious Business and the founder of SF Green, Powerset (now MFST) and Loudfire (now Nokia
). Steve Newcomb sits on the policy committee for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
.
One day in March 2008 Sylvia and Dan came up with the idea of creating a solar community in San Francisco. The initial idea was to identify and mobilize a single city block and get each residence on that block to go solar. The collective power of such a large community of solar buyers would allow the group as a whole to negotiate the best pricing from local installers. The goal was to take one city block off the grid – which led to the venture’s name, One Block Off the Grid, or 1BOG. Realizing the challenges of convincing 100% of the residents of a single city block to adopt solar, Sylvia and Dan modified the model to focus on the aggregate energy usage a ‘virtual city block’ representing about 200KW and launched their campaign citywide.
While developing the first 1BOG program Sylvia and Dan met Dave Llorens, a solar sales consultant and the co-founder of SolarPowerRocks.com, a site providing solar information for all fifty states. The three agreed to join forces and build 1BOG together.
1BOG.org was officially launched on June 5, 2008, the day after San Francisco passed the largest solar incentive in the city’s history. It was followed by numerous grassroot and social media efforts to educate and recruit San Francisco residents.. Within one month 200 people had signed up on 1BOG’s to receive an evaluation.
The pilot program in San Francisco was a success. 1BOG negotiated 48% reduction off the list price after rebates and incentives, generated over $800,000 in local solar installation, and helped 42 homes convert to solar energy. ,
The San Francisco Chronicle documented the success of the campaign in an in-depth article on October 11, 2008. The press coverage drove another 400 new 1BOG members within two days and helped propel 1BOG forward on future campaigns. Over the following months 1BOG was featured prominently in Huffington Post, CNET, New York Times, TIME, Wall Street Journal, Wired, treehugger, and many more.
By the end of October 1BOG had seeded campaigns in 7 additional cities including New York, Seattle, Portland, Colorado, Bay Area’s San Jose and Oakland. The company was acquired in November 2008 by San Francisco-based Virgance, a company that promotes large-scale social activism through market-based methods.
In 2009 1BOG formed an alliance with SunRun
to offer financing options aimed at lowering the upfront costs traditionally associated with solar
.
techniques such as house parties, canvassing
, and volunteer recruitment in addition to social networking and traditional marketing techniques to obtain a critical mass of consumers in a given city.
1BOG then holds a request for proposal
(RFP) for solar installers in the area, choosing a partner company on the criteria of service and price.
After selecting a solar provider, 1BOG continues to advise and aid consumers throughout the installation process. 1BOG helps consumers to navigate solar tax incentives, provides financing options and holds educational events.
customers. The chosen installer was Real Goods Solar.
1BOG's second Bay Area campaign signed up over 1200 members. The chosen installer was SolarCity
.
In addition to the Bay Area, 1BOG currently has campaigns at various stages in Los Angeles
, San Diego, New Orleans, Denver, Phoenix
, Sacramento
, Washington
, Aspen
, Austin
, Bergen County (New Jersey
), Boston
, Brooklyn
, Las Vegas
, Miami, Portland
and Seattle.
1BOG is currently working with a variety of solar providers, and they have plans to branch out into solar thermal installations and home energy conservation
.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
based company which organizes community buying of solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
to make the process more affordable and transparent for residential consumers, and to foster an environment of community activism and responsibility.
Name
The name “One Block Off the Grid” is a metaphor for freeing the world from its dependency on non-renewable power sources one block at a time.1BOG is often mistakenly referred to as iBOG, possibly due to confusion with “i-products” (iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, etc.).
Key people
1BOG’s CEO is Dave Llorens.1BOG's co-founders are Dave Llorens, Sylvia Ventura and Dan Barahona.
Chairman of 1BOG's board is Steve Newcomb, who is also the chairman of Serious Business and the founder of SF Green, Powerset (now MFST) and Loudfire (now Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
). Steve Newcomb sits on the policy committee for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
.
History
In early 2007 Sylvia Ventura and Dan Barahona decided to explore solar power for their own San Francisco home. They spent the following 3 months rigorously researching residential solar solutions – a process that required them to become experts in solar technologies, electric utility rates and metering, and local and federal tax incentives and rebates. They also discovered a major solar awareness gap – virtually all their friends and colleagues were interested in solar, but none had any awareness of its feasibility. They decided to share their research online and created Solar4SF.org, an advocacy and community outreach effort to promote and educate about all things solar. Solar4SF.org became a recognized resource for easy-to-understand information and key concepts for evaluating solar for San Francisco area residents. After a thorough vetting process Sylvia and Dan selected a local solar installation company and their system was installed in September 2007.One day in March 2008 Sylvia and Dan came up with the idea of creating a solar community in San Francisco. The initial idea was to identify and mobilize a single city block and get each residence on that block to go solar. The collective power of such a large community of solar buyers would allow the group as a whole to negotiate the best pricing from local installers. The goal was to take one city block off the grid – which led to the venture’s name, One Block Off the Grid, or 1BOG. Realizing the challenges of convincing 100% of the residents of a single city block to adopt solar, Sylvia and Dan modified the model to focus on the aggregate energy usage a ‘virtual city block’ representing about 200KW and launched their campaign citywide.
While developing the first 1BOG program Sylvia and Dan met Dave Llorens, a solar sales consultant and the co-founder of SolarPowerRocks.com, a site providing solar information for all fifty states. The three agreed to join forces and build 1BOG together.
1BOG.org was officially launched on June 5, 2008, the day after San Francisco passed the largest solar incentive in the city’s history. It was followed by numerous grassroot and social media efforts to educate and recruit San Francisco residents.. Within one month 200 people had signed up on 1BOG’s to receive an evaluation.
The pilot program in San Francisco was a success. 1BOG negotiated 48% reduction off the list price after rebates and incentives, generated over $800,000 in local solar installation, and helped 42 homes convert to solar energy. ,
The San Francisco Chronicle documented the success of the campaign in an in-depth article on October 11, 2008. The press coverage drove another 400 new 1BOG members within two days and helped propel 1BOG forward on future campaigns. Over the following months 1BOG was featured prominently in Huffington Post, CNET, New York Times, TIME, Wall Street Journal, Wired, treehugger, and many more.
By the end of October 1BOG had seeded campaigns in 7 additional cities including New York, Seattle, Portland, Colorado, Bay Area’s San Jose and Oakland. The company was acquired in November 2008 by San Francisco-based Virgance, a company that promotes large-scale social activism through market-based methods.
In 2009 1BOG formed an alliance with SunRun
SunRun
SunRun Inc. is a United States-based provider of residential solar electricity, headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company operates in ten states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Oregon. SunRun was co-founded in...
to offer financing options aimed at lowering the upfront costs traditionally associated with solar
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
.
Process
1BOG uses community organizingCommunity organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
techniques such as house parties, canvassing
Canvassing
Canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with a target group of individuals commonly used during political campaigns. A campaign team will knock on doors of private residences within a particular geographic area, engaging in face-to-face personal interaction with voters...
, and volunteer recruitment in addition to social networking and traditional marketing techniques to obtain a critical mass of consumers in a given city.
1BOG then holds a request for proposal
Request for Proposal
A request for proposal is issued at an early stage in a procurement process, where an invitation is presented for suppliers, often through a bidding process, to submit a proposal on a specific commodity or service. The RFP process brings structure to the procurement decision and is meant to...
(RFP) for solar installers in the area, choosing a partner company on the criteria of service and price.
After selecting a solar provider, 1BOG continues to advise and aid consumers throughout the installation process. 1BOG helps consumers to navigate solar tax incentives, provides financing options and holds educational events.
Campaigns
1BOG’s pilot Bay Area campaign in 2008 organized 42 solarSolar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
customers. The chosen installer was Real Goods Solar.
1BOG's second Bay Area campaign signed up over 1200 members. The chosen installer was SolarCity
SolarCity
SolarCity is an American provider of solar energy system design, financing, installation and related services and also builds charging stations for electric vehicles....
.
In addition to the Bay Area, 1BOG currently has campaigns at various stages in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, San Diego, New Orleans, Denver, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
, Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, Bergen County (New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
), Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Miami, Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and Seattle.
1BOG is currently working with a variety of solar providers, and they have plans to branch out into solar thermal installations and home energy conservation
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
.