Microsoft’s Hohm Platform Provides Comparative Energy Data for Your Home
Microsoft’s online Hohm platform provides data on residential energy use for the purpose of informing conservation efforts. (image: microsoft-hohm.com)
One idea behind home energy conservation posits that the more data people have about their own energy use, the better equipped they are to make changes that conserve energy. That’s one of the ideas behind smart meters—if a smart meter tells you that a television left in standby mode consumes 10 percent of your daily electricity, you will probably do something to change that.
Microsoft has taken a new approach to data-driven energy savings with its Hohm platform, a web-based program (still in beta mode) that helps residents monitor their homes’ energy efficiency. Hohm collects data on users’ homes like square footage, number of rooms, and year of construction (these are available through public records and automatically appear on your Hohm profile when you enter an address), and assigns an energy efficiency score based on available data, where a score of 100 means maximum efficiency.
As Treehugger.com reported on Wednesday, a new feature that compares users’ homes to similar residencies around the country could help boost interest in Hohm, and make it more effective. Using collected data, Hohm displays a user’s home energy efficiency as compared to other houses of similar size and construction located in similar climates. The concept is that the apples-to-apples comparison will show users how much more efficient they could make their homes, and the competitive spirit will drive them to make those changes.
The platform is far from perfect (it doesn’t work for apartments), but represents an early stage in the emerging trend toward energy awareness and conservation. Once Americans know how to conserve energy (whether it’s in the form of heating oil, electricity, or natural gas), and more importantly, how much money it can save them, the trend of home energy conservation will catch on like wildfire.
