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By George Norman - Software News Editor

Added on 26 Jun 2009(240 Views)

Cutting back on the energy you use in your day-to-day life is good for your budget and is especially good for the environment as less CO2 is freed into the atmosphere. In a move that to me brings back memories of Google PowerMeter, Microsoft has announced Hohm, an online application that you can use to better comprehend energy usage in your household.

This is a crucial step in what comes next: recommendations on how to save power and consequently start saving money. The recommendations that Microsoft Hohm provides are tailored to every customer and range from removing air leaks, installing a programmable thermostat and placing new caulking on windows – it all depends on the customer’s specific circumstances (house features, appliances the customer uses, usage patterns). In coming up with these personalized recommendations Hohm uses advanced analytics licensed from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.


Chief Research and Strategy Officer with Microsoft, Craig Mundie, comments: “We believe technology will play a pivotal role in tackling the global energy issues we currently face. Microsoft Hohm demonstrates how a combination of advanced software and Internet-based services can help people track, understand and manage their personal energy usage.”

Several industry-leading companies have already partnered up with Microsoft Hohm: Puget Sound Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Seattle City Light, and Xcel Energy. What does this mean for the end user? It means that Microsoft Hohm equips these companies with a cost-effective and scalable tool that will empower them to supply you, the customer, with comprehensive info about how you use energy. It also means that in the future, any customer of a Microsoft Hohm utility partner company can choose to have their energy usage data automatically updated into the app.

Microsoft Hohm, which has been released to the public as a Beta, is built on the Windows Azure cloud operating system and as such is accessible from any internet connected computer in the world that has a modern browser installed.

To get started with Microsoft Hohm, you can visit the official web page here.

In related news, Windows 7 is eco friendly by efficiently using energy as well (details here).





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Tags: Microsoft, Hohm, Energy, Power, Environment

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