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Microsoft Launches Web-Connected 'Hohm' Power Monitor

by Terrence O'Brien on July 28, 2010 at 06:30 PM

Microsoft HohmMicrosoft and Blue Line Innovations have teamed up to bring another eco-conscious gadget to the marketplace, aiming to help consumers conserve energy and money. The Hohm PowerCost Monitor and WiFi Gateway is being sold for $249, and connects with Microsoft's Hohm service. Hohm tracks energy usage throughout your home, and converts that raw data into real-life dollars and cents. The combined Wi-Fi gateway and power meter provide real-time updates about your power consumption, and display them on an easily deciphered graph, helping you to easily identify power hogs and to estimate the cost of running in-home tech.

This isn't quite the smart grid we've been dreaming of, but a Web-connected power meter could certainly raise consumer awareness about consumption, trimming off a few bucks on electricity in the meantime. The competition is rough, however, from the likes of of Internet powerhouses like Google and even power tool makers like Black & Decker. Microsoft and Blue Line will need to offer something unique, not only to dominate this emerging energy-conscious market, but also just to prevent the PowerCost monitor from becoming another forgotten (and expensive) gadget rotting in a basement. [From: Microsoft, via: CrunchGear]

Tags: BlackAndDecker, BlueLineInnovations, greentech, hohm, HohmPowercostMonitor, Microsoft, MicrosoftHohm, top

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