If you want to get an idea of how much energy you are using in the home and find ways to reduce your energy consumption and your bills then Microsoft’s new online tool released only yesterday might be just the thing for you, and what’s more, it’s free.
It will help people “better understand their energy usage, get recommendations and start saving money” Microsoft said.
Energy conservation is certainly topical these days and Microsoft “believe technology will play a pivotal role in tackling the global energy issues we currently face,” Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, said in a statement.
“Microsoft Hohm demonstrates how a combination of advanced software and Internet-based services can help people track, understand and manage their personal energy usage,” he said.
“Microsoft saw a need for a solution that could not only help support consumers’ conservation efforts, but that was widely accessible, user friendly, and tailored to the user’s actual energy usage,” said Troy Batterberry, product unit manager for Microsoft Hohm.” And “Microsoft Hohm attempts to meet those needs.”
Give Hohm some information to go on and it will reward you with suggestions and recommendations on how you can cut consumption and improve your energy conservation in the home.
The more information you supply, the more tailored the advice will be. If you don’t provide specific information about your home then Hohm will base its recommendations on local and national averages.
Batterberry reckons consumers could sae up to 10 percent on their energy bills, provided of course they follow Hohm’s recommendations.
Microsoft has partnered with four energy companies: Puget Sound Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Seattle City Light and Xcel Energy and is likely to add more partners at a later date.
Very soon customers of these companies will be able to upload their energy usage information automatically to the application whereas everyone else will have to input data manually.
At the moment Hohm is only available in the US and is free for every single household whether or not they are customers of one of the four utility companies partnering with Microsoft.
The beta application has taken two years to build and was developed with assistance from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy. The beta phase is expected to last around six months.
“We expect that we will learn a great deal during the beta phase, and based on that learning, combined with our own insight, we will adjust our road map accordingly,” Batterberry said.
Eventually Microsoft would like Hohm to be available to the rest of the world too.
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