Microsoft pulls plug on home energy monitor

Microsoft announced on Thursday it is pulling the plug on a free online home energy monitoring tool that allows consumers to gauge their usage and reduce consumption.

The US software giant's announcement it was discontinuing Microsoft Hohm came just days after Google said it was ending a similar service, PowerMeter.

In a blog post, Microsoft said it was shutting down Microsoft Hohm on May 31, 2012.

"The feedback from customers and partners has remained encouraging throughout Microsoft Hohm's beta period," Microsoft said.

"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 longstanding growth within this evolving market," it said.

"Together with our partners, we will continue to develop technologies that help people and organizations reduce their impact on the environment," the Redmond, Washington-based company said.

Microsoft Hohm provided suggestions for energy conservation based on home energy input data and feedback from users.

Google announced last week it was shutting down PowerMeter, which tracked home electricity use, on September 16 after it failed to "catch on the way we would have hoped."