Comments on: Slow spread of 1BoG

By: Tommy Wi

Tommy Wi — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:28:43 +0000

I’m curious about how Jeff W knows that 1BOG companies are losing money. It certainly seems like they would be based on what I know, but there must be a reason they’ve chosen to get involved with 1BOG.

And, Ron W, how do you know that it’s a “hefty fee” that is being paid to 1BOG?

Because here in NJ, the 1BOG prices are coming in about $5.45 W for SunTech which is a pretty good price but seems unrealistic long term for the installers.

By: Jeff W

Jeff W — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:52:32 +0000

I’m going to have to agree with Ron.

Most of the major companies who win the 1BOG gig are losing money fast. Which doesn’t bode well for long term stability.

I think most customers can get better pricing, service and equipment if they solicit 3 bids, pick an installer they like with good references and negotiate the price with them. A good installer will be honest about pricing and do their best to match the next guys bid. You can even point out the most recent pricing of a 1BOG program.

By: Ron Winton

Ron Winton — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:40:56 +0000

1 Bog doesn’t arrange for the lowest prices nor do their chosen dealers offer the highest performance products available for the money. That might be because 1Bog charge the dealers that they’ve choose a pretty hefty fee for each customer that buys a system. (Guess who pays that fee in the end ?) If consumers spent a little bit of time educating themselves on the Internet they can easily find better deals on higher performance systems that can give them a much higher return on their investment. Community purchases are just another gimmick that far too many people are falling for. Shop around and you can easily find far better deals on high performance name brand solar equipment and have the piece of mind of knowing that YOU made your own decision about which product was best for YOUR home instead of some GROUP. Kinda reminds me of the BORG on Star Trek . Resistance is futile.

By: Karsrten

Karsrten — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:22:01 +0000

Hi Techstar

I am a Washington DC area 1BOG subscriber. I also called local solar companies and ran the numbers for doing it myself. Doing it myself came in at $4.83, the cheapest solar company came in at $6.56 a KW. Of course I have no clue how to install them myself. So I really would appreciate the Name and Number of the Solar company you spoke to that will install at $4 a KW. Quoting you “With a little ringing around you should be able to get it down to a shade over $4 per watt”

By: DavidC

DavidC — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:18:08 +0000

Why even bother leasing to own or buying at all when Citizenre offers systems for about the same as you pay your power company or less, and lock that rate for up to 20 years? With no purchase of equipment or maintenance.

http://www.SolarEvolutionUSA.com

By: rebecca

rebecca — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:58:58 +0000

Hi Techstar,

You have obviously read several pieces of press coverage about 1BOG but I wanted to clarify a few details about what we do and the value we offer to homeowners.

First and foremost – as you know, 1BOG organizes homeowners into communities, provides vendor-agnostic support and negotiates a group discount from a pre-selected installer partner for solar. Yes, we negotiate a discount for this community that is below market rate, but more importantly, we select an installer partner with a proven track record of quality installations, products and warranties, provide transparent pricing for the entire community as well as support and information about going solar and what to expect. This saves homeowners time and offers the type of support (rather than a hard sell) to help them decide whether solar is indeed right for their home.

1BOG prides itself on providing a framework in which we can rapidly boost solar adoption by making the process easier and more affordable. Therefore, getting the cheapest price per watt of solar is not our end goal and we don’t claim to offer this. We have extensive processes in place to select an installer partner for each campaign to build consumer confidence in the technology and the industry. 1BOG’s web tools are industry leading and our mission to make going solar easy is inherent in everything we do. We never charge consumers for our services.

Regarding how solar impacts the value of a home: according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, home values rise an average of $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills. Here’s another study about home values and solar: learn.1bog.org/files/2009/03/black_home_value.pdf

Please feel free to contact me – rebecca@1bog.org if you have any questions or would like additional information.

Thanks!

By: Jason Morrison

Jason Morrison — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:43:22 +0000

Those are pretty bold claims. Where is your evidence? The good people at 1bog are kind enough to put all their info on their site for everyone to see. If you can cite a single source that will provide a fully installed, metered and inspected solar system for $3/watt I will personally buy systems for my entire block.