Today, Microsoft took the wraps off a new Web service dedicated to managing energy use. Called “Hohm” (presumably, a play on the combination of “home and “Ohm”), the product will take advantage of smart grid data on energy use when it’s available. Even when it’s not, however, Hohm will allow users to input their own details and share the results of their efficiency efforts, adding a bit of a Web 2.0 sheen to matters. The move comes after a number of other major IT powers, including Google and Cisco, have announced their own efforts in the area, suggesting that a lot of people think this market is about to take off.
The Hohm service itself is a bit of a hybrid of a number of services. From the smart grid perspective, a growing number of hardware makers are producing equipment that uses standardized methods of structuring and reporting data. That allows just about anyone to plug into the data, provided they’re willing to work with utilities to obtain it. At the moment, Microsoft has lined up four utilities that will work when the service starts up, but they’re certainly going to be working hard to bring more on before then. Two smart meter companies were also in on the announcement, indicating that Microsoft has already started validating the input from some of the existing hardware.
The data, however it’s obtained, will be stored using Redmond’s cloud offering, Windows Azure. The people behind Hohm have undoubtedly benefited from the experience of those who’ve built Microsoft’s medical records service, which also uses Azure.
via Microsoft wants your Hohm to use the smart grid – Ars Technica.
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