Weatherization is an ongoing process. You can install a storm window in the early winter, but chances are that you'll want to remove it in the summer. If you don't remember to re-install the storm window when winter rolls around again, your previous weatherization project was in vain.

This simple example is just one of many. There are plenty of weatherization tasks that require ongoing attention on the part of homeowners: checking thermostat temperatures, checking for water leaks, and everyone's favorite: turning off the lights. For the most part these are simple tasks that only require a few minutes every week or month. But they're also fairly boring, and difficult to integrate into a busy life.

To keep track with weatherization goals, homeowners need a convenient "green task" reminder system - a tool which can keep them up-to-date on the various green maintenance tasks they need to take care of on a regular basis. This tool could take a lot of different forms - it could have a web-based control panel; it could integrate with Outlook or the iPhone; it could send emails and text message alerts; it could produce an RSS feed or add status messages to a Facebook account one tasks are ticked off. It could do all of these things.

Most importantly, a green task reminder system needs to be relevant to each homeowner's particular circumstances - there's no need to remind someone who doesn't have storm windows to re-install them in early November. For that reason, such a system would need to gather some up-front data about what kind of weatherization measures the homeowner has taken, and perhaps provide an interface for a green contractor or weatherization consultant to add additional information. Once the basic information is provided, the system will be able to limit the set of reminders to thos which apply.

There's no need for such a system to limit itself to weatherization tasks, although those are among the most important tasks. It would be easy to adapt such a system to provide car and bicycle owners with reminders for keeping their vehicle in good and efficient condition, or to help urban farmers keep tabs on their plots.

It would be easy enough to monetize a system like this using subscriptions. A more exotic monetization model would sell not just the reminders, but the services as well. For example, the system could automatically schedule a visit from a local green contractor to assist with routine maintenance tasks, and reap a commission from each successfully scheduled appointment. That approach is probably more lucrative, but also a good deal riskier.

There are a lot of different ways to remind people of important green tasks. Hopefully, a variety of approaches will emerge, giving people the tools that best suit their needs and help them save energy most effectively.