Today Seattle City Light is the first utility to announce that it is offering customers the ability to link their electricity consumption data with Microsoft Hohm, an online application that tracks energy use and provides personalized energy conservation recommendations. Today Seattle City Light is the first utility to announce that it is offering customers the ability to link their electricity consumption data with Microsoft Hohm, an online application that tracks energy use and provides personalized energy conservation recommendations.
“Our customers understand that energy conservation means lower bills and less impact on our environment,” Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “We want to help them use less of our product by giving them the tools like Hohm to manage their energy use wisely.”
City Light was one of four launch partners when Microsoft Hohm debuted in Beta version in June and is the first utility to announce its customers can connect with a convenient, automatic data feed. Hohm users who do not have a data feed can enter their energy use information manually.
“We are proud to work with organizations like Seattle City Light who share a belief that their customers can and want to be responsible consumers of energy,” said Troy Batterberry, principal product unit manager for the Microsoft Hohm team. “Providing this kind of data connection through Microsoft Hohm makes it easy for customers to gain insight into how their decisions and actions impact their energy usage and cost. It also demonstrates Seattle City Light’s commitment to improving energy efficiency throughout the community.”
Hohm uses advanced analytics licensed from Lawrence Berkeley Labs and the Department of Energy to assess users’ energy data, home features and appliances and then identifies personalized energy saving recommendations. Those recommendations could range from placing new caulking on windows and removing air leaks to installing a programmable thermostat. The name is a combination of “home” and “ohm,” which is the standard unit of measure for electrical resistance.
To learn more about how Hohm works, visit www.seattle.gov/light or http://www.microsoft-hohm.com, where you can also create an account to use the application.
Seattle City Light is a national leader in energy conservation. The utility has promoted energy conservation for more than 30 years and has set a goal of doubling the community’s energy savings over the next five years.
Numerous incentives and rebates are available to help customers improve the energy efficiency of their homes and businesses. Among them are discounts on compact fluorescent light bulbs, rebates on energy efficient light fixtures and washing machines, rebates for recycling an old refrigerator and a rebate on the installation of a ductless heat pump.
Seattle City Light is the ninth largest public electric utility in the United States. It has the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.