Yesterday was wonderful day and the afterglow continues today.
We introduced the utility industry to Microsoft Hohm – our new online application that enables customers to better understand their energy usage, get recommendations and start saving money – at the Edison Electric Institute’s Annual Meeting, the utility industry’s leading trade association’s conference of CEOs and top management.
It’s been so exciting because years of hard work on our part is finally out there, for public use and benefit. Believe me, it’s been hard to sit on this information for so long, especially because of the positive impact I knew it would have.
For readers’ convenience, I want to offer you the highlights of what several news organizations are saying about Microsoft Hohm, as well as the links to their articles. It’s always nice to have that information in one place, so here goes:
“Not only does Hohm look more slick and comprehensive than what we’ve seen from PowerMeter, it’s also going to be available within the week to consumers and utilities (still waiting on PowerMeter.)” – Katie Fehrenbacher, Earth2Tech (GigaOm)
“Hohm is more than an attempt by Microsoft to establish its cred in the ‘save the planet’ movement.” – Mary Jo Foley, ZDNet
“We think that the ease of tracking one's power consumption and the option of having cheap smart plugs all over the house is a winning combination, but remember, the smart plugs are not required. If it works as advertised, and if users enroll in mass, Hohm's greatest impact in the short term will be to raise awareness. We think that "if it can be measured, it will be improved", and Hohm seems to be a great tool for that.” – Hubert Nguyen, ubergizmo
“If successful, Microsoft Hohm could gain the upper-hand on PowerMeter. There is also the possibility that Hohm, and its partnerships with utilities, will be able to help blunt the daily peaks in energy consumption that can be costly for producers and consumers alike. That's a service utilities might pay for, an important difference since the site will be free for consumers to use…Regardless of who wins this round of the epic Microsoft-Google bout, the common end is encouraging: in this case more knowledge will equal less power consumption. It's as simple as that. – Clay Dillow, Fast Company
“Hohm could give PowerMeter a real run for its money.” – Katie Fehrenbacher, Earth2Tech (GigaOm)
Microsoft also has partnerships with Itron and smart meter maker Landis+Gyr to integrate their data. But it also anticipates that many homeowners will make use of the site by typing in their own data, although Batterberry acknowledged that many might choose not to fill out all of the about 200 detailed questions the site asks to get a tighter handle on a home's energy profile.
More reports from EEI in the future and more info about Hohm, to come. – Jon Arnold
