Microsoft recently launched a free online home energy-monitoring tool that aims to help homeowners realize and effectively reduce their consumption of energy. By inputting specifics and utilizing online feedback by homeowners, suggestions are given for curtailing energy consumption home to home.
Microsoft Hohm came about in response to Google’s partnership with utility companies in 6 states, Canada, and India for what was termed “smart meter” software that does the same in home energy monitoring. The article on Physorg.com stated: “The Google PowerMeter can tell residents which devices or appliances in their homes are being electricity hogs and which are being frugal with energy. The software program receives information from smart meters and sends a detailed report to a home computer on how the power is being divvied up.”
Microsoft is doing likewise and “partnering with four West Coast utility companies on Microsoft Hohm: Puget Sound Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Seattle City Light and Xcel Energy.” Soon customers for these utility companies will be able to automatically upload their energy usage data into the Microsoft Hohm application where it goes to work offering suggestions on lowering usage. It won’t be long until all utility companies are enlisted to do the same across America and more and more software applications are created to help Americans find where they can save on energy.
Read more: http://www.physorg.com/news165084939.html.
It said consumers who are customers of a Microsoft Hohm utility partner company will be able “in the near future” to automatically upload their energy usage data into the application.
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