Microsoft builds Hohm, a new energy-monitoring system

Months after Google rolled out its PowerMeter energy-monitoring service, Microsoft has unveiled Hohm, its own free service designed to let you access, analyze, and optimize energy use through links to utilities and vendors of energy-efficient products and services.

"If you break up the energy-consumption sector in the Untied States, you'll see residential is the most underserved," says Troy Batterberry, Microsoft Hohm's product unit manager. "Commercial and industrial sectors have had the ability to hire experts to help them drive down energy costs, but most residential users haven't had an easy-to-use, inexpensive tool to help them do the same thing."

The service, a beta version of which launched on July 6, takes its name from home and ohm, the unit of electrical resistance. "We wanted a short name with a unique spelling so users could find it very quickly via Web searches—but it's also a nod to the electrical-engineering profession," Batterberry says. I guess Hohm sounds better than Holt (home and volt), Hampere (home and ampere), Hurrent (home and current), or Hatt (home and watt).

If you have a Windows Live ID, you can use your existing login to access Hohm; otherwise, you need furnish only your Zip code and e-mail address to gain access. After joining, you'll get a screen with a pie chart showing the average breakdown of energy consumption in your area, based on information Microsoft has licensed from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.

And if you're a customer of one of Hohm's four current utility partners—Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (PDF), and Xcel Energy (PDF)—you'll get a comparison of how your annual energy costs rate against other homes in the area.

Even if your utility doesn't participate, you can input information about eight areas of the home and your current electricity costs and consumption. Hohm will return a list of energy-saving suggestions, such as keeping your air conditioning in shape, swapping incandescent lightbulbs for compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and scheduling a home-energy audit; information on the estimated savings they'll generate; and links to pertinent federal, state, and utility incentives.

"We designed the site so people can still get valuable information even if they couldn't answer every single question," says Batterberry. He adds that as more users join the system, the recommendation engine is expected learn from a broader base of customers and utilities and increase the accuracy and usefulness of the estimates it spits out. Home-energy audits scheduled through the service could also fill in any missing information about a particular home.

A home-maintenance scheduler and enhanced links to federal, state, and utility incentives for energy-efficient appliances and heating and cooling equipment are also on tap. "There are a lot of rebates out there, but the average users doesn't' have time to go spelunking around the Internet," notes Batterberry. Microsoft also hopes to bring on a dozen more utilities as partners within a year.

"In the long term, we're looking at Intuit/Quicken and the banking industry as a model," explains Batterberry. "While it took some time for them to catch on, you now won't find a bank that won't export info in their format. We're hoping that with time, every utility will support sending information in a similar way."—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Learn what power factor is and find out whether the Kill A Watt and Watts Up watt meters can save you money.

Comments

[eric]

"the Untied States?"

[Alex]

We are helping find participants for an on-line survey of home energy monitors. There is a list of qualifying devices, you need to be using one of them.

The study ends August 30 2009, is offering a $10.00 Starbucks card for completed surveys. We vouch for the fact that there is no "trickery" with this request.

http://www.open4energy.com/forum/home/dev/home_energy_monitoring_device_survey_0907291255

[MJJ]

Where do I find CR ratings of air conditioning systems? Not air conditioner window units, but household systems. Cannot seen to find it anywhere.

[MJJ]

Where do I find CR reviews and/or ratings of home air conditioning systems? All I can find is air conditioning window unit ratings.