Microsoft has launched a free online home energy monitoring tool that allows consumers to gauge their usage and reduce consumption.
Microsoft Hohm, available as a beta version in the United States at microsoft-hohm.com, lets users “better understand their energy usage, get recommendations and start saving money,” Microsoft said.
“We believe technology will play a pivotal role in tackling the global energy issues we currently face,” Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, said in a statement.
“Microsoft Hohm demonstrates how a combination of advanced software and Internet-based services can help people track, understand and manage their personal energy usage,” he said.
Microsoft said Microsoft Hohm uses advanced analytics licensed from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the US Department of Energy.
It said Hohm provides suggestions for energy conservation based on home energy input data and feedback contributed by users.
Savings recommendations can range from caulking windows to removing air leaks to installing a programmable thermostat, Microsoft said.
Consumers who are customers of a Microsoft Hohm utility partner company will be able “in the near future” to automatically upload their energy usage data into the application. [24×7]
Yahoo! Teams wtih Seattle’s AdReady for Self-Serve Display Ad Solution
Yahoo! Inc. has teamed with Seattle-0based AdReady to power the pilot launch of Yahoo! My Display Ads, a self-serve display ad solution designed to help small and medium-sized businesses easily reach their target audiences on Yahoo! and its extended network of partner sites. The service is targeted at helping a new segment of advertisers to reach Yahoo!’s 1651 million users in the U.S. with locally targeted display ads.
By using a web-based, self-serve interface, advertisers can create and customize campaigns using more than 800 display templates. Additionally, advertisers can elect CPM or CPC-based pricing, catering to both branding and performance marketing goals. The new solution also helps advertisers track and manage campaign performance goals with daily reporting on key metrics, helping them optimize campaigns on the fly.
“AdReady’s partnership with Yahoo! will provide advertisers with direct access to high value advertising inventory from the largest provider of display advertising in the world,” said Aaron Finn, President and CEO, AdReady. “With Yahoo! My Display Ads, we hope to make display as easy, effective and accessible as search.” [24×7]
