How to Succeed in Energy Management Where Google, Microsoft Failed | Business. I have a confession to make. When most companies come to me to demo their latest energy management gadget or app, I love them ... for about a week. Then my interest fades. I've been working on energy efficiency for 20 years and care deeply about the issue, but this raises the question: Is it possible to get large parts of the population to engage -- and stay engaged -- in energy efficiency? Witness, among other things, Google's recent retreat from the home energy management space, and Microsoft's pivot away from consumers toward building management.
After an eye-opening three days at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) annual meeting in mid-June, I'm convinced there are three possible answers: 1. Make It Fun and Fulfilling Most industry pilot programs and academic research all show that I'm not alone -- people's interest in home energy management drops off sharply after even a month. What can we do? Some innovations of this type are already emerging. Lucid Design Group - Building Dashboard® - Making energy and water use visible in real time on the web. GSA Human Scale. GSA Enabling Better Decisions. GSA Greenprint Introduction. GSA Inspire Participation.