Facebook takes power saving social

Facebook is looking to make going green, social. The social networking giant announced a new social energy app that allows people to track their home electricity use.

According to Facebook the app will initially reach around 20-million households in the US. It claims that the app “allows people to quickly and easily start benchmarking their home’s energy use against similar homes”.

The app also reportedly allows people to “compare their energy use with friends, enter energy-saving competitions and share tips on becoming more energy-efficient”.

In 2010, Facebook launched its own sustainability team. It claims it launched the division with a “clear focus on protecting the environment through use of the Facebook platform, technological innovation in the data center, partnerships, and our own day-to-day operation”.

The company also says that it is investing “in advances in sustainable technology” and is “sharing best practices for developing and maintaining sustainable infrastructure”.

Additionally, it is part of The Green Grid, a “consortium of data centre users, policy makers, technology providers, facility architects and utility companies that helps push the boundaries of energy efficiency in the data centre”.

The nearly billion strong social network claims that its new HQ in California is pretty state of the art when it comes to green tech:

Every aspect of the campus was developed with sustainability in mind — from campus bikes and commuter shuttles, to a robust waste management strategy and solar cogeneration system (hot water and electricity) for the fitness center and kitchens