Eco (459)

Microsoft Hohm goes live

Still only for people with a US zip code though

9 July 2009 3:47 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Microsoft's eco friendly energy tracking service has now gone live, the company has confirmed.

Described by the company as a new online application that lets consumers "better understand their energy usage, get recommendations and start saving money" Hohm takes analytics from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the US Department of Energy to offer personalised energy-saving recommendations.

To get the most out of the service, users will have to complete a lengthy questionnaire giving info about their home and their energy uses from water heating to appliances.

Users are asked questions such as, when was your water heater installed? And what percentage of your home is heated?

Based on the answers you give, the website will then suggest recommendations on how you can improve your situation, including simple things like Lowering the temperature setting on your water heater to mundane suggestions like recommending you insulate your hot and cold pipes.

Microsoft has also announced that it has signed a deal with some utility companies in the US to allow users to see data usage within Hohm.

Competing services in the UK currently use a dongle that attaches to your incoming electrical cable in order to monitor your electrical usage, however, doesn't allow you to track gas usage.

Microsoft Hohm is currently only available to US citizens. Microsoft hasn't yet announced any plans to launch the eco-friendly service in the UK or outside the US.