Microsoft on yesterday declared that it has tied its Hohm Web home energy-efficiency gadgets to an electrical energy watch called PowerCost Monitor. The blend, which uses a home broadband connection, lets users view home power from the Web or from the tabletop electricity monitor.

Whole-home electricity monitors displays you how much current a house is using at a specified instant and how a large amount it's estimate you. Linking Hohm to the monitor permits users to see that same real time information from a Web-enabled gadget, such as a PC or Smartphone. Considerably, it lets users dig a little deeper in the data to track current use for the entire day, or contrast one phase to another.

For customers keen to get additional than just a monthly utility bill, it's a mark that some of the profit touted by smart-grid advocates, namely more thorough information to make efficiency, can be achieved lacking having utilities install smart meters.