Hohmies, want to check your energy use in almost real time with a free energy monitor? Then enter to win Blue Line’s PowerCost Monitor and WiFi today!

Hohm and Treehugger are partnering to give away the system on August 4, 11, and 18, and you can submit your name every day to win. (The units retail for approximately $249; Treehugger has the official rules here.) The PowerCost Monitor is a handheld unit displaying how much electricity you’re using—and how ...

Just as we’re all getting used to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), a new lighting technology based on light emitting diodes (LEDs) is coming to market. Should you care? Yes – they’ll save you even more energy and money -- and LEDs don’t come with some of the drawbacks that drive people crazy about CFLs.

LEDs may seem like a new technology, but you are already surrounded by them. They are used for the little indicator lights in ...

Last November we kicked off the Welcome Hohm Video Challenge and asked you, our Hohm community, to submit a short video and/or photo showing what you've done (or would like to do) to make your home more energy efficient. The creativity and diversity of your ideas and efforts did not disappoint. Thanks to all who participated — we're truly inspired by your passion and commitment.

And now, it’s with great pleasure that we announce our winners.

First prize ...

If you've been wondering what Hohm can do for users, here's an interview with Tyler Hurst aka (@tdhurst). Tyler is a marketing and PR consultant for AVC, editor for kontaktmag, and involved with other groups such as Gangplank, a group of connected individuals and small businesses creating an economy of innovation and creativity in Phoenix, Arizona.

In this video Tyler talks about how Hohm helped him learn how he could make his home more energy efficient and ...

Reducing energy use in the home is an integral part of addressing global climate change, energy security, and green economic growth.  Energy used in the residential sector is a significant contributor to green house gas emissions (GHGs).  In California for example, homes are responsible for 14% of GHGs, 32% of the state’s electricity consumption, and 36% of its natural gas consumption.  In response to this many homeowners are taking action to save both money and energy use through energy efficiency upgrades. 

Unfortunately many people ...

The COP15 is in full force this week and Rob Bernard, our chief environmental strategist, along with other team members are in Denmark engaging in the conversation. The group is addressing how technology will play a large role in addressing climate change over the next 40 years. Here’s a video clip of Rob Bernard talking about some of the main topics that he’ll be engaging in.

Nick Eaton, a Microsoft reporter at the Seattle Pi, put together a ...

With the economic downturn putting pressure on many people’s wallets, we have been analyzing our purchases, and trimming back on many costs we do not view as essential.  Enviromedia recently released a report showing that 82% of consumers are still purchasing eco-products, despite the economic lull.  Given the higher upfront costs of these products, why are people still choosing to buy green?  Do people now view these products as essential items?

For many people, they see the long-term savings associated ...

As you may have seen this morning, Natali Del Conte of CBS Early Show put together a great segment about Microsoft Hohm. CBS followed a family in Sacramento and tracked their use of Microsoft Hohm. The family used Hohm which provided them with custom recommendations based on their home's appliances and family habits. They were surprised to learn that their refrigerator in the garage is very inefficient, that they could combine laundry loads to save, and that replacing traditional light bulbs with energy efficient compact florescent ones can make a ...

Sumi Das with smart planet recently took the time to interview Rob Bernard, Microsoft’s chief environmental strategist. In this interview, Sumi engages in a descriptive conversation with Rom hitting on key points of the true power of Microsoft Hohm.

The interview starts off with a general overview and then dives into more of the complex features of Microsoft Hohm such as, user’s ability to enter in their gas, electric, and water data along with others including how home provides the ability to compare your consumption with ...

We’re starting a new video series that will be release every Friday. Fun Fridays are video clips of the team and interactions that go on throughout the week with Microsoft Hohm. These videos are designed to be more lighthearted shining light on all of the people that make Microsoft Hohm possible.

One of the biggest concepts that I would like to inject into Fun Fridays is to take questions from our communities and ask those questions to the team members ...