Microsoft Hohm is a free online application that helps consumers save energy and money. With Hohm users can better understand their home energy usage, get recommendations to conserve energy and start saving. As with any recommendation engine, Microsoft Hohm will provide increasingly more accurate and relevant suggestions for energy conservation as its users contribute home energy input and feedback. One of the objectives during our beta period is to refine our tool and further increase the value our product can offer.

Microsoft Hohm uses advanced analytics licensed from Lawrence Berkeley Labs and the Department of Energy, to provide personalized energy saving recommendations. These recommendations are tailored based on users' specific household circumstances including home attributes and use of appliances and systems. Consumers will also be able to compare their energy usage with that of others in their area. In this beta version, the Microsoft Hohm team will learn from its users and communities and will make improvements to the site and analytics.

Microsoft Hohm helps utilities better serve their customers by giving insight into their energy consumption, allowing them to make more informed decisions to help them save energy and money.

Microsoft Hohm is for any residential consumer of energy who wants to save money or reduce their impact on the environment.

The recommendations provided by Microsoft Hohm are based, in part, on the complex algorithms and data from Lawrence Berkeley Labs and the Department of Energy. We take into account a wide variety of factors (over 200 variables drive the models) to determine the customized recommendations and will continue to refine how recommendations are calculated.

Scientific studies have confirmed the effectiveness of energy management tools in helping consumers reduce their energy consumption. Furthermore, numerous market studies have verified consumers have a strong interest in reducing the energy consumption for economic or environmental reasons. In short, the value and need exists. Microsoft saw a need for a solution that was widely accessible and scalable tools that are user friendly and tailored to the user's actual energy usage. Microsoft Hohm attempts to meet those needs.

'Hohm' was chosen because it is a play on the words "home" and "ohm" which is a measurement unit in the energy field.

We refer to the PowerMeter team for information about that product. What we can say is that we provide a tool that is immediately available to everyone in the U.S. with Internet access using a modern browser, and will support users on their path of increasing energy conservation.

Open standards are critical to enabling the consumer to easily access their usage information from a variety of product and service vendors. Microsoft supports open standards for the smart meter industry.

Microsoft advocates the Internet Protocol as one of the key protocols that enables the energy grid. In addition, as the definition of the energy grid can be very expansive, there may be other protocols that also play a meaningful role. All of these protocols should be standard and open.

Single family homes typically consume the most energy. While single-family homeowners may achieve the most value from the current version of Microsoft Hohm, apartment and condo residents can also use to Microsoft Hohm to learn how to save energy.

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 roadmap accordingly. At a strategic level we see five phases in the development of these energy solutions

1. Personal conservation management
2. Automated near-time data management
3. Differentiated price based consumption management
4. Scalable demand side management
5. Zero carbon energy sources

Some of these solutions are at least a decade away but you can expect us to evolve in line with this vision. We are starting today by enabling consumers in the U.S. to save energy and money with Microsoft Hohm.

Initially, we selected a small group of utilities as Microsoft Hohm partners. By working closely together with these key partners, we are able to make it easier for consumers to access their energy usage data. We now have a standard licensing program in place that allows any of the 2000+ utilities in the U.S. to incorporate Microsoft Hohm support free of charge.

No, energy payments can only be made directly through the energy provider. However, customers can view their energy statements in Microsoft Hohm if they have connected to their provider with the automated feeds.

Customers may decide to use both services. We developed Microsoft Hohm to co-exist with other energy provider solutions, and there may be some overlap in features. Microsoft Hohm was created to help fill a growing need to help consumers reduce their energy consumption. It is designed to be user friendly, personalized, and accessible. The energy providers we work with want their customers to have options that best meet their needs and believe Microsoft Hohm is a valid option for their customers.

Microsoft Hohm is a free and scalable online application. Microsoft Hohm partners with utilities around the U.S. to make it easier for consumers to access their energy usage data. Customers of a Microsoft Hohm-partnered utility company can choose to automatically upload their energy usage data into the application in the near future. They can access their historical usage and tariff information from their local utility via a security-enhanced connection to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of the application.

Microsoft Hohm can help utilities enhance their customer relations, and can help utilities meet the increasing regulatory requirements for energy conservation by promoting utility conservation programs with customers.

Microsoft Hohm is a Microsoft-branded application. In the case where the utility company is providing energy usage information to Microsoft Hohm, the application will also display certain branding from the utility company. Utilities have the opportunity to increase the awareness of their rebate and conservation programs through Microsoft Hohm.

The current SDK allows utilities to integrate their data feed with Hohm. This SDK will be published shortly. We plan to allow 3rd party vendors to integrate with Hohm at a later point in time.