Microsoft and Google Pull the Plug On Home Energy Management Projects →
This post examines the disappointing news that Microsoft and Google have both discontinued what seemed like promising efforts to create home-energy-management tools:
In 2009, Microsoft and Google launched services aimed at the nascent consumer home energy market. The two tech giants were looking to be the first to establish platforms for the anticipated wave of home energy management products. But in simple statements just days apart, both said that the services would be discontinued due to low adoption rates. How quickly they pulled the plug is disappointing, but speaks volumes about the challenge of innovating in the energy industry.
Google Powermeter allowed users to track their personal energy consumption. Designed as an open system, Google had been steadily forming Powermeter partnerships with hardware and software companies, such as the TED, Current Cost, and the UK’s AlertMe, smart electric meter manufacturers, and a number of prominent utility companies.
Microsoft Hohm was a web-based application that allowed users to monitor and analyze their energy consumption, and included a blog with energy-saving recommendations. Hohm created a rating system called a “Hohm Score,” which rated your home’s energy efficiency.
Both companies have claimed that these services were simply ahead of their time.
The rest is here.
Too bad.
Reblogged from unconsumption
