Lights Out for Microsoft Hohm Because of Lack of Demand

Microsoft Hohm never graduated from Beta, and now it never will since the green service will be discontinued in less than a year. Microsoft signed the offering’s death sentence at the end of June 2011, and informed that Hohm will only be kept alive until May 31, 2012.

The Redmond company stressed that feedback from those customers and partners that embraced Hohm was positive, but the problem was with the number of users, or lack thereof.

Microsoft Hohm will work as it has so far until the end of May 2012, after which the software giant will shut it down permanently.

“The feedback from customers and partners has remained encouraging throughout Microsoft Hohm’s beta period. However, due to the slow overall market adoption of the service, we are instead focusing our efforts on products and solutions more capable of supporting long-standing growth within this evolving market,” Microsoft said.

Users will not be able to leverage Hohm after its discontinuation deadline, so it’s a good idea for them to grab any data they can and brace for shut down.

For those wondering, Microsoft recommended no Hohm alternative, and the Redmond company stressed that it’s not working on producing an equivalent. Existing Hohm users are effectively left hang out to dry.

The company did note that additional green initiatives will continue to be developed despite Hohm’s death.

“Microsoft Hohm has helped demonstrate the critical role of information in helping people and organizations improve how energy is generated, distributed and ultimately consumed,” the software giant said.

“Microsoft will continue to focus on developing products, solutions and partnership that span a wide spectrum of industries, such as power generation, distribution grids, buildings and transportations systems.”

When it was introduced, Hohm was applauded as the holy grail of home energy management online applications, designed to help users improve the eco-friendliness of their households by cutting down energy consumption and saving money.