Now Microsoft pulls plug on energy monitoring service
By Andrew Eldridge
Posted on 1 Jul 2011 at 13:03
Microsoft has discontinued its home energy monitoring service, only days after Google did likewise.
The Microsoft Hohm service allowed users to observe their energy usage online, with data provided by the user or via a third-party monitoring device.
Microsoft is dropping the service due to poor demand, the same reason Google gave for closing its PowerMeter service, earlier this week.
“The feedback from customers and partners has remained encouraging throughout Microsoft Hohm’s beta period,” Microsoft announced on its Hohm community blog.
“However, due to the slow overall market adoption of the service, we are instead focusing our efforts on products and solutions more capable of supporting long-standing growth within this evolving market.”
Current Hohm users can continue to use the service until 31 May 2012. However, with support for Google’s PowerMeter to be pulled in September 2011, the demise of Hohm will leave a gap in the market.
“Together with our partners, we will continue to develop technologies that help people and organisations reduce their impact on the environment,” said Microsoft.
Further details can be found at the Hohm FAQ page.
What home energy monitoring service is that then?
I would've found such a service useful had I known about it... given I have been a MS product professional for many years but had never heard of the Hohm (or PowerMeter) service, this must be another marketing FAIL!!
Where can I sign up? ... oh, I can't. :(
By apemonkeyman on 1 Jul 2011 
@apemonkeyman
Agree 100%. I only found about Google’s PowerMeter from a recent PCPRO article. Started looking for compatible hardware and Google decided to drop it. After reading this one found that MS had similar offering as well!
If MS and Google wanted better adoption maybe they should have ensured that people at least know know about existence of this service.
By aa111 on 1 Jul 2011
Agreed
Never heard of either.
But is there one thing that is for certain, that is MS are terrible at telling people about their stuff.
WP7 is a classic example. Most people either have never heard of it or think you're refering to the old Windows Mobile.
By Grunthos on 1 Jul 2011
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