When I first came across Xcel Energy's Home Energy Analyzer a couple of years ago, I geeked out with all the graphs and charts detailing our energy consumption.

But it's been months since I last used the web app. The reason: It requires you to manually enter data from your monthly utility bills, and it's been too easy to fall behind.

A new partnership between Xcel and Microsoft should soon put a new and improved tool at customers fingertips, one that will automatically download data from the utility.

Xcel is one of four utilities partnering with Microsoft on its new Hohm energy-monitoring application. Customers will be able to have their electricity usage data pumped directly into the web portal, where they'll be able to view it, compare it to similar households and get tips for cutting consumption.

"We pride ourselves on being responsible providers of energy," CEO Dick Kelly said in Microsoft's press release (PDF). "By adopting Microsoft Hohm, we can provide our customers vital energy consumption data that not only positively affects individual behavior, but that collectively benefits the environment as a whole."

The program is not available yet, but people can sign up at Microsoft-Hohm.com to be alerted when the program can be downloaded.