Your Home’s Energy Usage, Online in Real Time

In the burgeoning market of home energy monitoring, three familiar high tech and telecom names are trying to make an early splash. By integrating energy monitoring into your plugged-in world, Google, Microsoft, and Verizon hope that people will make better decisions about how and where to cut energy use. Currently in the nascent stages of pilot programs, these applications depend on the profusion of “smart meters”, called smart because of their ability to measure energy use in almost real time (15 minute increments) instead of monthly.

Even better, smart meters will be able to send that usage data to applications like those being developed by Google, Microsoft and Verizon. Theoretically, you could check your energy usage from your phone and realize that someone may have left the AC turned up and all the lights on. And of course, once you realize where and how your energy bills are skyrocketing, you can take more effective steps to reduce them.

Google’s PowerMeter
PowerMeter was launched recently with 12 pilot partner utilities, after being tested by Google employees on their own home energy usage. Anecdotes about expensive, power-hungry space heaters and paying to power the laundry room for a whole apartment complex illustrate the power of access to usage data. Also, it’s free.

Microsoft’s Hohm
Hohm seems similar to PowerMeter, although we have limited information so far. The press release mentions that Hohm will make energy saving recommendations based on data you enter about your usage. Sounds like it doesn’t hook directly into smart meter usage data yet, but Microsoft is also partnering with 4 utilities for pilot programs. Plus, there’s a communal element, allowing you to compare your usage with others in your area and talk about ways to reduce it. Again, also free.

Verizon’s Fios
Verizon, taking advantage of their home fiberoptic broadband system, plans to enter the home energy management game too. Since this tidbit of news just came out (very) recently at the Green:Net 09 conference, I’ll let an actual attendee from FastCompany explain:

Verizon can remotely update home routers, which means that customers can too. So once we give thermostats and window shades IP addresses, we can turn down the heat and schedule the shades to open or close on a daily schedule–all from our cell phones. That’s the gist of what Verizon wants to do, but the company remains mum on details of a release date, partnering companies, and price.

This one might not be free, but it would be pretty cool.