Check out the Microsoft Hohm Web-site for Personalized Energy-Saving Tips

Check out the Microsoft Hohm Web-site for Personalized Energy-Saving Tips

I recently came across an unusual online community that enables individuals to get specific cost-cutting, energy-saving advice for their homes and businesses, which I am hopeful will save me money on my next electricity bill. The Microsoft Hohm community is an online resource that allows users to compare relative energy costs in their communities and find ways to save on their electricity bill.

The Hohm website asks for your zip code and information about your home including the date it was built and the size. The site will then give you advice about electricity-saving ideas for your home and the estimated savings in terms of energy and dollars for each step you take.

After filling out their simple form, I was given the following advice from
Microsoft Hohm's Energy Saving Tips Library:

1.  Put computers and monitors on idle when they are not in use.
2.  Lower the temperature settings on the water heater.
3.  Replace incandescent light bulbs with LEDs.
4.  Clean your dryer's lint trap in order to improve efficiency.

In addition to the above-listed advice, there are pages of recommendations which can be used to both save money and electricity. While it is nice to envision everyone saving energy because of environmental reasons, those who are motivated by financial incentives to do so will also find value in this web site.

The site also provides information about the average energy use and electricity costs in your area, so you know how you compare to your neighbors. For more specific recommendations tailored to your energy needs, you can enter your account number with your electric company once you join the site which you can easily do with an MSN or hotmail account.

The Hohm website also contains a
blog containing both news about the environment and more energy-saving resources and tips. The site's  forum lets users discuss more green topics. I like the blog because a majority of the energy-saving tips are of the D-I-Y variety and the writers are passionate about the projects and are able to explain the most effective methods in clear ways.

Hohm also has graphs which show how much electricity is used for which purposes, which is extremely helpful when you are trying to pinch pennies. The analytics that are used on the Microsoft Hohm web site come from Lawrence Berkely Labs.