Surprisingly enough, the end of December is already upon us, and we all know what that means – the holiday season. Before the noughties (lamest decade nickname ever) end, however, there are some ways for all of us to prepare our homes in these last couple of weeks leading up to the close of the decade. I present, for your enjoyment, the 12 Green Days of Christmas, or rather, 12 things you can do to be greener for Christmas.

Yes, technically, the 12 days of ...

We’ve all heard about the Cash for Clunkers campaign that took the auto industry by storm but have you heard about the Cash for Caulkers program? This new campaign announced by the White House yesterday proposes to reimburse homeowners for energy efficient appliances and insulation, part of a broader plan to stimulate the economy.

The details of the plan haven’t been released yet as the administration is still working with Congress to develop the legislation, although leaked details include rebates ...

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 ...

While I was trying to come up with some blog topics around the holidays for Hohm I headed out to my parents who are always up for a cup of coffee and some strong debate early in the morning. Quickly the conversation tuned into the upcoming holiday and what is the possibility of households conserving energy by preparing food in one location while the community gathers in once place to eat. This idea was almost instantly rebutted by my dad ...

About 100 days ago, a small, very enthusiastic and very tired team here in Redmond launched our Hohm beta website.  This was the first public step in a journey that we started on over two years ago,  one that began with a vision on how we could help consumers around the world save energy and money.  It’s a big vision, and one we on the Hohm team are thrilled to pursue with you.  The early consumer response to the Hohm ...

It is now easier than ever for you to upload your energy details directly to your Microsoft Hohm profile, via the addition of datafeeds. We are excited that SMUD customers in the Sacramento California area will be able to better understand and change their energy consumption habits and look forward to hearing their feedback.

For tips on how to save energy at home and get more information about rebates in your area, fill out your Hohm profile today at ...

I had the honor on Friday of coming back to my home town of Fargo North Dakota last week and share the story of Microsoft Hohm as we announced the partnership with Xcel Energy. It was a warm and enthusiastic welcome for Hohm with the governor of North Dakota John Hoeven, U.S. Congressman Earl Pomeroy, Public Service Commissioner Tony Clark and Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker all joining me to talk about the importance of energy efficiency.

As I looked out ...

Just in time for the winter, the Microsoft Hohm team is very excited to announce that energy provider Xcel Energy has reached another milestone enabling its 3.4 million customers across Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and parts of Colorado to opt in to automatically upload their energy data into their Hohm profiles.

Microsoft Hohm uses advanced analytics licensed from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy to give consumers personalized energy-saving recommendations. These ...