Microsoft Debuts Home Energy Conservation Website

Here at TakePart we like to remind you that going green is awesome for both the environment and your wallet. And you may say, okay, that's all well and good, but how do I go green in ways that really have an effect on both the environment and my bank account? That's where Microsoft steps in. The software giant announced today it is debuting its power conservation website, Hohm, which will help you go green. From the website:

Microsoft Hohm is a free online beta application that helps you save energy and money. With Microsoft Hohm you can better understand your home energy usage, get recommendations to conserve energy and start saving. As with any recommendation engine, Hohm will provide increasingly more accurate and relevant suggestions for energy conservation as its users contribute home energy input and feedback.

Basically, since the application is in the testing phase, you provide your email address, and you can get in on the ground floor of this deal. Reuters has this to add:

"Conservation is the cheapest source of energy," Troy Batterberry, product manager for Hohm, told Reuters. If consumers use less power, he said, utilities will not need to build as many new polluting power plants. Everyone saves money.

Hohm uses complicated algorithms to analyze information provided by consumers and participating utilities to help them better understand their power usage, get recommendations and save money.

I really like the quote "conservation is the cheapest source of energy." It makes a whole lot of sense, no? Best of all, the application is free for every household in America. So check it out, and tell us what you think.